Lessons
by skysignal
Summary: Due to a misunderstanding, Erza sets up an unconventional contest at the Fairy Tail guild to settle the score between Natsu and Gray once and for all. Now Natsu and Lucy are forced to undergo training of a different kind! Nobody wants to lose, so Natsu and Lucy are willing to do ANYTHING. The stakes are high this time.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **Everything regarding Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima. No question here.

**Author's Notes**: This is the first fic that I've published on . I would appreciate your reviews! The first chapter's a bit short but I will try to have more interactions in the following ones.

**Lessons**

* * *

**Chapter 1 - In which a deal is struck with the Devil**

* * *

It started with a kiss. Two, actually, if truth was being told.

The first kiss was an accident, and it wasn't even that good—though, to be fair, as inexperienced as Lucy was, she really wasn't in a position to judge. But she had meant it to be a harmless peck on the cheek, something you normally did with friends if you were feeling affectionate, but it didn't happen like that at all.

She, Natsu, and Happy were at the train station in town, on their way to Crocus to meet up with a bigwig literary agent who wanted to publish her experiences as a mage in Fairy Tail, when a man came out of nowhere and swiped her book bag from her grasp, taking with him the only copy of her manuscript. Natsu rushed after him instantly, and the man, who had no inkling of what was coming, hadn't even cleared ten yards of the exit before the dragon slayer caught up to him. Short of torching the guy, Natsu grabbed the bag back and skipped over to Lucy, looking smug and invigorated. Lucy felt so grateful afterwards that she glomped him and moved to kiss his cheek, but he turned his head to her at the last possible second. Their lips smushed together.

"Ah! They kissed!" Happy crowed in surprise.

Natsu pulled back, unfazed. "What d'you do that for?"

Lucy felt her face burn all the way to her ears. "Well, you know! It's what friends do to say thanks!" She'd laughed it off, even though it meant everything to her. It was her first kiss, after all.

And it wasn't even half of what she'd expected. She'd read about kisses before. A first kiss was supposed to be special. It was supposed to be shared with someone who had the same feelings as you did. And, more importantly, it was supposed to be romantic. Though she and Natsu were pretty close and he had been through so many things with her, Lucy wasn't sure if they even had that kind of relationship. Despite his affection for her, he just didn't seem all that interested in things like kisses, romance, and relationships.

So in the end, Lucy decided that it didn't count as her first kiss. For one thing, both parties should want to do it with each other.

And first kisses shouldn't be awkward like that, not according to her standards anyway.

The second one—should it still be considered the second one if the first one didn't count?—dear Mavis, the second one was worse. She had just finished a mission with Natsu and Happy at a nearby island and was bodily dragging the seasick boy back to his house when, at his stoop, he straightened up and put his lips on hers. She was too stunned that she didn't even have the mind to pull away.

Natsu grinned down at her. "That's a thank you, in case you were wondering."

"O-Of course!" She jabbed him on the arm playfully, her heart thudding in her ears. "Come on, let's get you to your hammock."

Lucy told herself that she wouldn't overthink it, that there wasn't anything in the kiss to even consider. Were second kisses supposed to taste of smoke and vomit? Suddenly, she started to lose faith in the idea of kisses entirely.

But, thinking back, she hadn't expected Natsu's lips to be soft and gentle either.

Lucy tried not to think about Natsu's lips. She wasn't sure if she was ready to deal with what kissing Natsu meant and the possibility that she might have feelings for her best friend, as improbable as that seemed. All this fuss because of a kiss (or two).

So she faced forward. In the days that followed, she strove to live as though nothing happened. Everyday life ensued. She took missions with her team, bickered with Juvia about Gray, shopped books with Levy, went around town with Wendy, and at the end of each day, she wrote her feelings down in unsent letters to her mother. She moved on. She was doing so well in forgetting that she was beginning to believe those two kisses with Natsu were just anomalies that every boy-girl friendship was bound to have.

Until today, that is.

It started with a fight.

A usual day in the Fairy Tail guild hall, if Lucy were to be asked. She and Levy were talking at the bar with Mirajane when Natsu and Happy strode over.

"We found a job, Lucy," Natsu said cheerfully, waving a mission request in front of her face. "It's something that you would like!"

Immediately suspicious, Lucy narrowed her eyes. "What sort of job is it?"

"A fashion show!" Happy replied.

"But the show's just a front," Natsu went on. "While you strut around in your little outfits, Happy and I get to catch the guys who supposedly smuggle dud lacrima into Fiore."

"So I'm the distraction?" Lucy asked. Somehow, this sounded too dubious. She wasn't one to involve herself in their mission skirmishes, and they'd had plenty of those in the past, but she wasn't one to idly stand by in the sidelines either while everyone else worked their butts off.

"Aw, come on. There'll be photographers there," Happy insisted. "You'd get to show yourself off!"

"You might even get scouted, Lu-chan," Levy chimed in. "You'll be popular like Mira-san!"

Admittedly, this was something Lucy could agree to. A spread about her on Sorcerer Magazine wouldn't hurt. "Maybe I'd even get to keep the clothes," she wondered.

"Pffft, even if you didn't, the 900,000J reward could definitely make you rich enough to buy clothes, right?" Natsu grinned.

"900,000 Jewels?" Lucy's eyes bugged. "When do we leave?!"

"You should have led with the reward, Natsu," Happy said snidely. "She played so hard to get before."

Lucy was too excited for the reward and the possibility of future fame that she let the Exceed's retort slide. Split three ways, that amount of money could cover at least four months' worth of rent. "Why is the client offering so much money for a setup like that?"

"It's probably a government council that's holding the event," Mirajane quipped helpfully. "Since the request is to catch smugglers."

"If you're going to do some catching, it will be better for you to take someone who can do the actual work." Gray had sauntered over to them, having overheard the conversation from his table. He motioned toward Natsu. "With just this idiot around, you'll probably end up paying the client your reward money."

Natsu perked up at the ice mage's challenge. "What do you plan to do? Throw little swan ice sculptures at them?" He guffawed at this.

"That's still better than what you probably will do, which is raze the entire event to the ground!"

Lucy could actually see that happening. But instinctively, she shimmied away a bit, knowing full well what the two mages' arguments eventually led to.

"I bet I could think of better ideas than you—"

"That is if you could think at all, you flame-head moron!"

And soon enough they were in a dust cloud of flailing limbs and biting heads, scattering food and splintering furniture every which way. The guild members had learned how to sidestep Gray and Natsu's fights early on, and no fuss was made when ice spears and flame jets shot out from the melee. Well, not too much fuss, anyway; maybe Macao huffed a little when his lager spilled, and Reedus whined when his easel got hit, and perhaps there was also a bit of grumbling from Elfman when Gray's leg nudged his face straight into his curry. But, all of this was already a given.

All of it, except when Natsu spewed a fire ball and it almost, _almost_ singed Erza's eyebrows off. Lucy held her breath. Even that could be forgiven, she thought. Her biggest worry was that the strawberry cake had been blown clean off the Requip mage's plate on the bar.

Time seemed to freeze.

Lucy cringed. Before she had time to stand and urge Levy to get out of the immediate vicinity with her (they were too close to Ground Zero), Erza had already requipped into full golden armor, something Lucy had never seen before. The S-class mage must have been saving it for a special occasion.

"YOU IDIOTS!"

There was the sound of crunching bone.

"No, no! Gray and I were just—"

"WHY ARE YOU STILL TALKING?!"

Whoosh, thud, groan. Maybe another groan.

"I. AM. SO. TIRED. OF. YOUR. STUPID. PISSING. CONTESTS!"

Happy flew over and plopped on Lucy's shoulder. "Poor Natsu," he lamented, looking on in worry.

She patted his paw. "Can't say we didn't see this coming, though."

The mage's raging pushed on. It was so painful to watch that Lucy had stopped trying to keep up, feeling sorry for Natsu and Gray. She sighed, expecting the dragon slayer to be roosting in her apartment soon after this to recover, as was his tendency every time he was hurt or injured.

More furniture broke. There was a slam, a grunt, a crash, and...a cheer?

Cana was cheering. She was perched on one of the tables near the bar, looking like she'd just gotten up from a drunken nap. "Woohoo, a kissing contest! We're having a kissing contest? Did I hear that right?"

Lucy was about to correct her when Erza suddenly went stock still, her gaze flicking over to Cana. "Actually," she started, "that's not a bad idea."

"Right?" Cana cackled. "About time too!"

Erza turned back to the two male mages, who by this time had picked themselves up from the floor. Natsu's nose was bleeding, while Gray's jaw was starting to bruise. "Let's settle this in a peaceful way then," she told them. "A kissing contest, five days from now."

Natsu glared at Erza, horrified. "I am not kissing _him_!"

"You moron, we're not going to kiss each other." Gray glanced at Erza gingerly. "Right?"

"Of course not," Erza said. "You get to pick your partners."

Juvia had fluttered close to Lucy at this. "Juvia will be Gray-sama's partner, not you."

"I wasn't even volunteering!" Unwittingly, Lucy looked at Natsu. He appeared as unaffected as ever, frowning at Erza in deep thought. Lucy couldn't help but wonder who he would pick as his partner. Hoping he'd choose her was ridiculous, but the seed of it was there in her head, germinating. He was likely to choose Lisanna, though. Somehow, the thought of it made her heart sink.

"What are the terms?" Natsu asked.

"Whoever kisses the longest wins the contest," Cana said, mid-hiccup. "The loser..." She looked at Erza questioningly.

"The loser prostrates himself to the winner in apology," Erza declares, "and gets to do my bidding for a month."

"I VOLUNTEER!"

Every head in the guild swung around to the back of the guild hall. Beside her, Lucy heard Levy gasp. Gajeel was standing on top of his usual table, his arm raised, fist in the air.

Erza arched an eyebrow at him.

"Not to be your slave boy," Gajeel clarified quickly, "but to join the contest."

"Huh? You?" Natsu snorted. "The iron boy can kiss?"

"Are you saying you can kiss better than me, flame breath?"

"I'm saying that I can kiss better than ALL OF YOU."

Happy shook his head, sliding off of Lucy's shoulder. "This is getting too weird." He flew off to the bar to ask Mira for fish.

"Then prove it," Gajeel goaded, sauntering over to where Erza stood to address her. "I'll join the contest just so I can shove this idiot's foot down his throat when I win."

"F-Fine," Erza relented, seeming confused now. "Though the terms will have to change now that three pairs are involved..."

"I'll write the rules," Mirajane offered sweetly. "But the basic terms should still apply, I think."

Natsu let out an excited howl. "Let's do this, then!"

"You have five days to prepare," the barmaid announced with a smile, which, to Lucy, seemed more dangerous than Erza's weapons at the moment, "so you better pick your partners now."

Erza nodded towards Gray. "Who's your partner?"

Juvia reached over to grab Lucy by the arm, her nails digging into her skin. Lucy nudged her off, but the woman's grip on her only tightened. "Seriously, Juvia, this is so unnecessary." She found herself holding her breath and praying for her dear life when Gray promptly glanced in their direction.

"Juvia?" Gray asked.

The water mage turned a very deep shade of red. She gave Lucy a victorious huff before she glided over to Gray's side. Lucy shook her head in disbelief, but nonetheless felt a note of gladness for the blue-haired mage, knowing she'd been longing for something like this to happen for ages. It was short of what she deserved for her patience, but it was a good start.

Erza swept her gaze toward the iron dragon slayer. "Gajeel?"

The long-haired mage snorted, as though finding it stupid that she even had to ask. He pointed a finger to Levy, who yelped in surprise.

"You'll help me win, shrimp." He ignored the loud protestations that came from Jet and Droy.

"B-But I haven't..." The Solid Script mage faltered. "This is..."

"Your first time?" Gajeel drawled, nodding. "You worry too damn much. That's what your books are for."

Lucy stopped herself from rolling her eyes. Books can only do so much. She glanced at Levy, understanding her dilemma, but the bookish mage seemed strangely...happy. Huh.

"What about you, Natsu?" Erza asked.

"I pick Lucy, naturally!" Natsu answered without missing a beat.

"There's nothing natural about this!" Lucy retorted at him, but her heart had jumped at his mention of her name. She didn't know if she wanted to whack his clueless head or hug it in delight. What was going on with her?

Natsu turned to her. "What's the big deal? We've already kissed a couple of times."

Lucy's face burned. Oh, she definitely wanted to whack him hard now. Slowly, she felt everyone's widened eyes upon her, heard their collective gasp. Only Mirajane appeared unperturbed, smiling sweetly as usual, as though she'd already expected this.

Cana snickered, almost tottering off her table. "My, my. Who kissed whom first?"

"She kissed me first," Natsu said, grinning. This elicited squeals of disbelief from the women, and Lucy thought Erza gave her a nod of approval.

"That's not very manly of you," Elfman muttered.

"That's why I kissed her next," the fire dragon slayer boasted triumphantly, at which point Lucy had reached his side, yanking on his arm, blatantly ignoring the catcalls and wolf whistles that followed the bold declaration.

"That's not something you talk about in front of everyone!" She hissed, unable to meet his eyes.

"But why not?" Natsu whispered. "It was a nice kiss."

Lucy looked up at him then, startled at his words. It never occurred to her that he might have had an opinion about the kiss, seeing how offhand he'd been. "I-It was?"

"Hm-mm," Natsu chucked her lightly on the chin. "That's why I'm sure we're going to win this thing. What do you say?"

There was an expression of unadulterated excitement on his face that made Lucy realize she didn't have it in her to let him down. How could he feel such open joy in facing something so unknown when she herself was almost quaking in her boots? But this was the best thing she admired about Natsu: his fearlessness, his optimism, his boundless zest for life. He never did anything half-assed. And though his rashness often resulted in damage and destruction, he always acted out of the purest of intentions. So in spite of her misgivings—and the loud voice in the back of her head that warned her of the terrible consequences—she quickly nodded her assent. "Let's do it!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **Everything concerning Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima. Nothing belongs to me, except the plot of this story.

**Author's Notes: **Here is the second chapter! Thank you for your reviews of the first chapter! I really appreciated them. To be honest, when I started writing this, I didn't think that I would even post it up online. But I had this idea for a fic and I needed to share it with fellow NaLu fans. Uploading it online takes a lot of courage!

Also, I wanted to reveal the timeline of the story later on as the story progressed but then I figured that not everybody reads the manga. This story takes place after the Daimatou Enbu, so later chapters may be a bit spoilerish.

**Lessons**

* * *

**Chapter 2 - In which training starts**

* * *

The guild was in pandemonium. More so than usual, since the forthcoming event was something that was new and unprecedented. Once Master Makarov got wind of the contest from Mirajane, he had pulled out all the stops to make sure it would be the best kissing contest Fairy Tail would ever have—until the next one, that is. He ordered the guild hall to be prepped for the event, and Mira happily obliged to oversee the decoration. She immediately put Macao and Wakaba to work, much to the two men's consternation, but since a lot of the mages were looking forward to the whole thing, they soon helped out, further stirring the guild's craziness up a notch with cringe-worthy antics and bold ideas.

Lucy regarded the hall with trepidation, her gaze stopping at the stage in the middle of the eastern wall of the room. The makeshift platform was strewn with glittery hearts and floating balloons shaped like puckered lips. She slid further down her seat next to Natsu, causing the dragon slayer to look up from his beef stew.

"Something wrong, Lucy?"

"It's all become quite ridiculous now, hasn't it?" She motioned toward the stage. "I mean, why do we have to be up there of all places?"

Natsu snickered. "Don't tell me you have stage fright? You're always so energized when you're in talent shows and beauty pageants."

"But this won't be a beauty pageant, Natsu." Lucy glared at him. "Everyone is going to watch us kissing up there."

"So?"

Lucy sighed. Of course, Natsu wouldn't understand her apprehension. The idiot rarely exhibited any signs of fear in life-or-death battles—a kissing contest was probably a cakewalk to him. She herself didn't really understand her own anxiety, either—it was just kissing, after all.

Then again, it wasn't every day that you would kiss your best friend in front of a whole lot of people.

And it was more than just kissing, to be honest. It was more to Lucy, at least. Even if the kissing-in-public aspect were to be taken out of the equation, she would still be kissing Natsu. And there lay her biggest fear. She was afraid that she would start to feel more than she should, and that it could change everything between them.

"Aren't you two being too carefree?"

Lucy and Natsu glanced up at the same time. Cana had perched herself on the side of their table, clutching a barrel to her hip. "Whaddaya mean?" Natsu asked, his mouth full of beef.

"I mean, you're too laid-back, sitting here and doing nothing," Cana replied.

Lucy perked up then, letting her gaze pan around the guild hall. In a corner table, she found Levy with her Gale-Force Reading Glasses on, her nose buried in a mountain of books. Gajeel sat across the table from her, saying something that she occasionally acknowledged with a nod. It was the first time Lucy had seen her friend being so serious with the iron dragon slayer. A further look around the room revealed Gray and Juvia's absence. A knot formed in Lucy's stomach.

"Psshh, so what? It's just kissing," Natsu said, pushing his empty bowl away. "Like it's hard to do that."

Cana laughed. "Idiot, you'd be kissing for hours. It would be agony."

"She's right," Lucy found herself saying, her cheeks growing hot. "We should be preparing, Natsu. Gajeel and Gray are already—"

"Fine." Natsu nimbly leaned toward her, and she was able to clamp her hand over his mouth just as their foreheads bonked together.

Cana burst out laughing as Lucy struggled to get her bearings, pushing Natsu away. "At least try to get the timing right! Jeez."

"What timing are you talking about?" Natsu muttered. "I thought you wanted to prepare?"

"You two are hopeless," Cana guffawed, shaking her head. "I thought Gajeel would lose this thing, but I've changed my mind. You could be the very first ones to give up." She continued to laugh to herself as she walked away with her barrel, causing Lucy's dread to triple.

"What the hell was she yapping on about?" Natsu asked, staring after the swaying brunette. "Who said anything about giving up?"

"She thinks we'll lose because we're inexperienced," Lucy said.

"Inexperienced? But we've kissed before."

"I don't think that's enough, though."

Natsu's eyebrows shot upward. "It's a kissing contest, Lucy. How much preparation do you need for that?"

"Well, I don't know. Some preparation, at least," Lucy said. "It'd be disastrous to underestimate Gray and Gajeel. Plus, do you really want to be Erza's errand boy for a month?"

Natsu shuddered visibly. "But still, I don't think—"

"Natsuuuu! Lucyyyy! _Ne_, did you hear?" Happy flew at full speed toward them from the bar, landing with a thud on the table. "Elfman's joining the contest, too! He's going with Evergreen."

"What?" Lucy gaped at the cat in disbelief. "What exactly is this contest turning into?"

"And Master is giving a prize to the winner," Happy went on.

"What's the prize?" Natsu asked, his interest piqued.

"Dunno, he didn't say," Happy replied. "Do you think it's fish? Because you need to win it if it's fish."

"It's not going to be fish, Happy," Lucy snapped. The blue Exceed glanced at her.

"What's got your panties in a twist?"

"Elfman and Ever are in the contest now, too," she said, "which means we're in trouble."

"You of little faith," Natsu snickered.

"The two of them have been seeing each other since the Tournament," Lucy pointed out. "That gives them an advantage over everyone. And it's Elfman. If there's anyone more intent on proving himself to be a man, it's him."

Natsu grinned at her. "That only makes me more fired up," he said, his eyes glinting.

Lucy stared at him in confusion. "Where is all this confidence coming from?"

"The fact that I'm doing it with you gives me the confidence we'll win," he said matter-of-factly. "You need to believe in me more, you know."

He was right, of course. Natsu was always right. Lucy smiled at him, not having the heart to tell him that it was herself she didn't trust. "I do believe in you, Natsu," she said softly.

"Good. Then come on." He promptly stood up, pulling on her wrist. Happy cheered and went afloat above their heads.

"W-Where are we going?" Lucy inquired.

"To your apartment, where else?" He looped his trusty scarf around his neck. "It's important to you, right? We're going to train."

* * *

Maybe she should have declined. Her apartment was probably the only place where they could 'train'—essentially, they would be making out, and Lucy couldn't picture doing that with Natsu at his house. But she hadn't thought about how tricky it would be once they got to the comfort of her room. She battled with herself for a minute about where she should offer Natsu to sit before he took the initiative and plopped down on her couch. She let out a relieved sigh. It would have been terribly problematic if he had chosen to sit on her bed as he was wont to do. For one thing, she wasn't sure if he would understand the difference, as thick as he was.

Happy headed straight to her kitchen, singing a song about fish, and Lucy took this chance to break the ice somehow and play the polite hostess. "How about some tea?" She offered.

Natsu arched an eyebrow at her. "Nah, I'd rather start."

Lucy swallowed. "O-Okay..." She shuffled toward the couch and tentatively sank down the cushions next to him. Her heart was jumping so violently in her chest that she wondered if Natsu could hear it.

Of course, he could. Natsu cocked his head sideways and gave her a strange look. "Why are you being weird?"

"I'm not," she deflected, but she felt her cheeks flush. "I just haven't exactly done this before..."

"Eh?" Natsu's eyes widened. "But... That boyfriend you had in the past..."

She rolled her eyes. "That was just one date with a guy, Natsu, and I didn't invite him here, nor did I kiss him."

"Ehhh." Natsu chuckled.

"Stop laughing," she grumbled, averting her gaze.

"I'm not laughing," he said, still grinning widely. "It's just... I didn't know that. It makes me happy."

Lucy glanced back at him in surprise. There was that open joy on his face again that she had trouble reading lately. "And you? Have you—?"

"Nah, just you," he smirked, "unless you count that time I had a bath with Erza...and Gray was there too." He cringed, as though he had just remembered something very painful.

Despite her nervousness, Lucy giggled at his expression. "That doesn't count at all."

"I figured." He slid closer to her.

Lucy's heart went into overdrive. She struggled to quiet her thoughts and calm her nerves down, but his sudden nearness made her stiffen reflexively. What was wrong with her? She and Natsu had been put in situations more compromising than this in the past. Her being self-conscious now didn't make a lick of sense.

She supposed she'd feel more at ease if she could ask her Celestial Spirits for help in something like this, though she couldn't quite imagine whom she would summon. Aquarius had a boyfriend so she was the best option, but Lucy would have be in water in order to call for her, and she couldn't imagine having to train with Natsu in the guild's pool, or worse, in her bathtub. _No_. Besides, she rather doubted that the siren would be willing to help them at all, considering the mermaid's tendency to mock her at every opportunity. Neither Aries nor Virgo would be of any assistance in this kind of situation, and Taurus would only end up making some lecherous remark on her person. And then there's Loki—

"Loki!" Lucy yelled as inspiration struck, which was probably a mistake because all of a sudden, there he was, standing before her and Natsu.

"What the—!" Natsu had sprung off the couch, battle-ready. "You bastard!"

"What's Loki doing here? We having a party?" At the sudden commotion, Happy flew in from the kitchen, chewing on some sushi he'd scavenged from the fridge.

Before Lucy could say anything, Loki had leaned over her and grasped her shoulders. "What's wrong, Lucy? Are you in trouble?"

"Man, don't just go popping out of nowhere like that," Natsu growled, sitting back down. "And she's not in trouble."

"Wha-? But it felt like she needed my help," the Celestial Spirit's eyes narrowed. "Was Natsu sexually harassing you?"

"What?!"

"No," Lucy amended quickly, "but I—we do need your help in something."

Natsu blinked. "We do?"

She nodded and turned back to Loki. There was just no helping it. "This is going to come off really strange but we need you to train us. I-In kissing."

* * *

It took Lucy around three minutes to explain things about the kissing contest to Loki, with Natsu vehemently protesting all the while, and another ten minutes to convince him that they needed training. The Stellar Spirit tried to stifle his laughter on account of Lucy's feelings but was unable to do so in the end, especially when Natsu shouted that he could kiss girls just fine. Even Happy couldn't contain his hilarity at that.

"Who'd have thought the great Salamander needed tutoring on the ways of kissing?" Loki chortled, having collapsed on the couch beside them from laughing too hard.

"Piss off! I said I don't need your help!" Natsu turned dagger eyes on Lucy. "Why'd ya have to call this blockhead out, anyway?"

"'Cause Lucy sucks at kissing," Happy said, eliciting a smack from her which he gracelessly evaded.

"There's no way for her to be bad at that," Loki said, sobering. He inched toward her purposefully, and having had enough, Lucy stood up from the couch, grumbling under her breath about flirty, presumptuous spirits.

"Why don't you go teach Gray instead?" Natsu said, suddenly cheerful. "I'm sure he'll need the lessons more than we do."

"Oh, trust me, you don't have to worry about Gray," Loki answered.

"Yeah," Lucy thoughtfully agreed. "He seems adept at it somehow."

"Who do you think taught him?" Loki smiled then.

Happy's eyes bugged. "You kissed Gray?"

"No, idiot." Loki straightened his tie. "We used to go out and pick up girls a lot before Phantom Lord trashed the guild. Let's just say he's had more than his fair share of practice."

Lucy had trouble imagining the ice mage picking up girls, especially with his propensity to strip at random moments. Wouldn't that have been inconvenient?

"That bastard's a pervert through and through," Natsu said snidely, puffing his chest out.

"Cana picked up on it as well," Lucy murmured. "That we were the weakest team."

"I don't care what she thinks," Natsu replied. "We're gonna prove them all wrong!"

"It's not a battle of strength this time, Natsu," Loki entreated seriously. "It's about technique. You and Lucy won't win it by just mashing your mouths together."

Lucy blushed scarlet despite herself. "Cana said that, too."

"There's no way around it then," Loki said with a languid sigh. "I'll help you two."

"You will?" Lucy didn't know whether to be glad or nervous about his agreement. This was her idea, after all. She and Natsu could very well benefit from his instruction.

Loki smiled at her and patted the seat beside him, and with a heavy breath, she sat down, sandwiched between the two male mages once again. When Loki moved to face her, she pulled back a little.

"Maybe I should show Natsu what to do first, how to proceed," he said, putting an arm around her shoulders and slowly drawing her in. Lucy stiffened against him.

"I don't want to watch you," Natsu whined, pulling them apart. "I wanna do it myself!"

Happy made a disgusted noise. "I don't wanna watch you at all," he said, and with that he zoomed out through the window, saying something about seeing Wendy and Charle at the guild.

"So hasty," Loki remarked, chuckling. "At least you've got the enthusiasm for it. Fine, then." He got up and moved to sit on the coffee table in front of them. Motioning toward them with his hand, he nodded, all businesslike. "Show me what you know."

Lucy was about to say something when Natsu grabbed her by the shoulder and pressed his lips to hers. Before she'd even had time to respond, he pulled away, looking atrociously pleased with himself.

Third kiss. That was their third time now. And instead of being joyous about it, Lucy itched to hit him.

Loki seemed to feel as much. His face was scrunched up, as though he had just witnessed something so distasteful. "That was terrible."

"What?!" Oh, Natsu had the gall to be angry.

"How could you be so bad at this, Natsu?" Loki demanded.

"I'm not—!" Gritting his teeth, Natsu turned to Lucy. "Was it bad?!"

Lucy winced. "Errm..."

"Did you like it, Lucy?" Loki asked.

She wanted to disappear. Why did Loki have to put her on the spot like that? But if she and Natsu even hoped to surpass Gray or Elfman in the damn contest, she would have to be willing to go through hoops with him under Loki's tutelage. Inwardly, she wanted to win, too. She gave Natsu an apologetic look.

Natsu's upper lip curled. A look of determination settled on his features almost instantly. "Lemme try again." He bent toward her.

"Wait." Loki caught him by the scarf, effectively collaring him. "Before that, let's ask Lucy what she thought of your first attempt."

They looked at her expectantly. She swallowed. "It was quick," she said and then immediately regretted it. She didn't want them to think that she wanted the kiss to last forever.

"What didn't you like about it?" Loki prompted.

"Er..." She dropped her gaze to her hands. "It felt like it was rushed...and a little forced."

"Huh..." For the first time since Lucy had known him, Natsu looked truly at a loss.

Strange, she wanted to console the dragon slayer but didn't quite know how, as Natsu rarely needed any encouragement. He was always one to follow his instincts in everything he did, and so far they had never let him down.

"You need to understand that kissing is done by two people," Loki explained calmly. "Give the other person time to respond, and don't just go barreling into it either. Think of it like a battle between two fighters."

Natsu glanced at Loki. "A battle?"

Lucy smiled to herself. If there was anything that Natsu could understand, it was fighting. She was grateful that Loki had the sense to put things in terms that Natsu was thoroughly familiar with.

"Yeah, exactly like a battle. You try to read your opponent's movements, sense their power. Only in kissing, you read your partner's mood and expressions. You have to anticipate what she wants." Loki hung his head in thought. "That's easier said than done, though. Sometimes you can misread things and you get slapped instead."

"That's probably too much information there, Loki," Lucy said, biting her lip to keep from laughing.

"So how do you know what she wants?" Natsu asked.

"Well, you gauge it somehow. Observe her face. If she pulls back when you move close, that's a sign she's not ready. Look at Lucy, for instance," Loki instructed, motioning toward her.

Natsu turned to her, and Lucy held her breath. His expression was a little too intense, as though he was trying to bore a hole through her head with his stare. She could feel his magic simmering just beneath the surface of his skin, making the air between them warmer than usual. And she found it endearing somehow that he was giving this exercise his fullest concentration, no matter how absurd it was.

"Don't pull back," Natsu warned her.

"I won't," she promised, reaching out to smooth her fingers between his knitted brows. "You don't need to frown so much though."

"Oh." At that, his face relaxed, though his gaze remained fixed on her. The intensity was still there. "Now what?"

"Now you make sure your timing and approach are just right," Loki said, "and when you do decide to go in for the kiss, lean toward her, but slowly."

Natsu didn't move right away. He roamed his gaze over her face, studying her features, pausing on her lips. Lucy's heart skipped a beat. She couldn't understand the nameless warmth that began to bloom in her chest. When he finally bent his head toward her, she unwittingly closed her eyes.

"No, don't pucker your lips like that, Natsu," Loki interrupted. "Just relax your mouth, like—"

"Can I punch you just once?" Natsu barked at him in irritation. Loki laughed.

"If you're getting angry like that, it means you got in the mood. That's a good sign."

"Shut up and just let us do it," the dragon slayer grumbled.

"Don't forget to close your eyes when you do kiss her."

"How the hell am I supposed to see where I'm going if I close my eyes?!"

"I didn't say close them the entire time, moron. Just before you kiss her. And you can use your hands to guide you anyway—put them on Lucy's shoulders or something."

It was probably the comical way they argued combined with Natsu's seriously enraged expression that did it—a trill of laughter bubbled out of Lucy. She couldn't hold it in anymore. The entire situation had just become so ludicrous it was a wonder she hadn't walked out of it the first chance she got.

"Lucy?" Loki entreated, hesitant.

"Sorry—" she managed between laughs as she tried to take a breath. "It's just... If you'd only seen your faces..." The memory of it only served to add to her hilarity, and she burst out laughing again.

"You weirdo," Natsu muttered. He took her face in his hands and covered her lips with his fingers to somehow silence her. "What the hell are you laughing at?"

"Your face!" She mumbled against his fingers, her shoulders shaking with mirth. She hadn't laughed this hard before in her entire life. "So ridiculous..."

He grinned down at her in response but didn't move his hands away. Instead, he watched her ride her merriment with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. Lucy trustingly leaned against his hold, helpless against the tide, and when her laughter slowly dwindled down, she noticed the air between them had changed; he was holding her face gently now, his thumb lightly tracing her lips.

Her stomach flipped. She didn't dare sound out his name lest she ruin the moment—she didn't want to turn away from this. More than anything, she wanted to see this tender side of Natsu.

So it was only natural that she tilted her face up at him, and that he bent his head down. And it was only natural for him to kiss her the way she had imagined—not forceful, not rushed. His lips molded against hers, gentle, coaxing, and somehow teasing all at once. She leaned into his kiss, her hand inadvertently landing on his warm chest, and there she felt his heart racing against her palm. She didn't understand any of it yet, but to know that she had this effect on him too was thrilling.

And this, here, should have been their first kiss.

Moments later, they broke apart, if only to catch their breaths. Lucy trembled as she looked up at Natsu, taking in his expression. He was gazing at her as though he was trying to solve a difficult riddle in his head. He had every right to be as confused as she was. The only thing she could do for him now was to reach up and ease his frown away with her fingertips.

He smirked. "We've finally gotten rid of him," he said.

It took her a full minute to realize that he was talking about Loki. The Celestial Spirit had disappeared without her even sensing it. She idly wondered if this had been Loki's plan all along. "Oh."

"Lucy." Natsu bore his gaze into hers, his uncertainty clear in his eyes. "Was that better? I mean, was it as good for you as it was for me?"

He had to ask? She nodded to him reassuringly. "I think that's how kisses should be."

He beamed his trademark grin and leaned down to kiss her once, twice, a third time. She was only just starting to warm up to it again when he pulled away a little and mumbled, "We are definitely going to win this now."

* * *

**A/N:** I think Natsu had some doubts there, haha. I'd be pissed too if Loki-sensei were planning to upstage me.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **Everything concerning Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima. Nothing belongs to me, except the plot of this story.

**Author's Notes: **This one was written a while back, but I'm a bit of a perfectionist so I had to run through it over and over and over again. I wished it could have been longer but then I wanted to leave some parts for other chapters. It makes more sense that way, I think.

Again, thank you for the reviews! Cookie-chan91, I agree with you. Natsu really needs to learn what kisses mean. Celtika82, thank you for your kind words. I feel that imagining how people in Fairy Tail would react to certain situations helps me keep them in character. I hope that I can do better, though.

**Lessons**

* * *

**Chapter 3 - In which practice (almost) makes perfect**

* * *

Here are the Fairy Tail Kissing Contest Rules:

1. All pairs must kiss for as long as they can. The winning pair will receive a prize, which will be announced on the day of the contest.

2. The longest time that the kissing pair can take their lips from each other is 3 seconds. Any pair who goes beyond that is instantly disqualified (and rightly electrocuted by Freed's runes).

3. Talking is allowed, only if managed while kissing. This goes the same for eating and drinking. Adhere to Rule No. 2.

4. Bathroom breaks will not be allowed.

5. Lewd behavior is strictly prohibited. This consists of touching, poking, caressing, pinching, and hitting body areas below the waist (i.e., butt, groin, and thighs.) Groping women's breasts is not allowed either. (You will be judged harshly by Freed's runes.)

6. Non-winners will be assigned to kitchen and toilet duty for 30 days. The use of magic during that time will not be allowed. They will also be answerable to Erza 'Titania' Scarlet for miscellaneous duties during the said time period. Non-adherence and outright defiance to punishment will be answerable to Freed's runes. Cheating Freed's runes will only result in more punishment from Mirajane.

7. Switching partners on the day of the contest is not allowed. If any of the leading participants wish to change partners before the contest day, see Mirajane for approval.

8. Stripping is not allowed, Gray. You have been warned. Wear a wetsuit if you have to.

9. Technique, while it may not have any bearing on the final result, will earn you points that can help overturn a disqualification judgment.

10. Master Makarov or any of the judges on the day of the contest will not be held liable for any injuries, damages, or emotional scars that can result from the contest. If any of the leading participants wishes to withdraw his attendance in the contest, see Erza 'Titania' Scarlet.

* * *

Lucy only came to the guild hall to get breakfast. All she'd wanted was a plate of Mira's buttermilk waffles with strawberries and cream for some comfort after a long night without sleep. She figured something sweet first thing in the morning would jar her back to Earthland somehow and get her head out of the clouds.

She didn't need food to do that, apparently.

Mirajane's rules were hard to miss. It was the first thing you see when you walk into the hall, hovering above the bar in a conspicuous manner, tacked on an oversized board. When Lucy read it, her mouth dropped open in shock. Until today, she didn't really think about the contest at all, mostly because she figured they'd come to it eventually. They still had three more days. But seeing Mira's rules now served to make the contest more real somehow.

It was largely unsettling. Especially when she had spent most of yesterday and last night kissing Natsu and not thinking about what it was really for.

Her appetite promptly gone, Lucy spun around to head back home. Maybe it was from her lack of sleep, but suddenly, for the first time since she joined Fairy Tail, the guild hall felt a little too crowded.

"Lucy?"

She stopped in her tracks. Erza was standing at the guild's doorway, looking at her questioningly. She'd been so preoccupied with her thoughts that she had failed to see the woman coming in. "Oh. Good morning, Erza."

If the red-headed mage noticed the hitch in Lucy's voice, she didn't make a note of it. "Have you had breakfast yet?"

"Um, no. But I was just about to—"

"Come, then. Sit with me." Erza moved past her into the hall, putting her order with Kinana at the bar and settling down on a quiet table in the corner, far away from the stage. Finding no valid reason to turn down the invitation, Lucy sat across from her.

"You look awful," Erza observed, gazing at her carefully.

Lucy smiled to herself. For Erza, there was no point in being tactful or delicate. The woman deemed it a waste of time. "I didn't get much sleep last night."

"Why?" Erza asked. "Did Natsu keep you up?"

Lucy's face heated up. "What?" Had she been so obvious?

Erza blinked. "Was I not supposed to know that?" She asked. "But everyone knows Natsu sleeps at your place sometimes."

Ah, that. For a horrifying moment, Lucy thought that the Requip mage had known exactly what she had lost sleep over. "Actually, it's not that. I had a lot on my mind."

"Is it the contest then?" Erza asked. "Are you thinking about backing out?"

Lucy shook her head. "I would never abandon Natsu like that." What she didn't say was that she couldn't do it even if she tried. She cast a wary glance at the contest rules floating in the air. "I don't really mind being a part of it, but I didn't think it would be so...clinical."

Erza followed her gaze. "Ah." Understanding colored her tone. When she turned back to Lucy, her gaze was kind. "You're worried that the rules take the meaning out of the act."

Lucy almost scoffed at that. She wasn't that naive; the only reason she and Natsu were even kissing was because of the contest. There was no other meaning to it on Natsu's end—it was just another battle for him to win. But for her... She didn't even want to think about what she felt over it for fear that she might discover just how much it meant.

"The trick is to not overthink it," Erza advised, drawing Lucy from her dismal thoughts. "Just do what your instincts tell you. They're not often wrong, you know."

"That's true," Lucy nodded. She could attest to that. It was mostly their instincts that guided her and Natsu yesterday.

"The only thing is... You have to help Natsu as well, Lucy."

Lucy perked up. "Help him? What do you mean?"

Erza frowned in thought. "I'm sure this is uncharted territory for him. He's not a voracious reader like you, so even if you aren't that experienced in intimacy, you have some knowledge on the subject. But Natsu... He gleans things from his experiences. I don't think Igneel even taught him anything about coupling—" she stopped and gave Lucy an apologetic smile. "Ah, but I digress. What I'm saying is that you should be the one to instruct him, Lucy. Be his guide. You're the only girl who can be this intimate with him."

Lucy was so stunned by what Erza said that she gaped at the older mage for a moment. It wasn't until Erza raised her eyebrows that she realized she needed to respond. "Me?"

Erza nodded. "He chose you, didn't he?"

A hundred different responses flitted through Lucy's head at that—perfectly legitimate reasons why Natsu had picked her for this contest. "No, that's just because we do most things together," she replied wanly.

Erza smiled at her knowingly. "Natsu wouldn't choose to kiss someone he didn't care about, Lucy."

"He cares about a lot of other people too, Erza."

"Not the way he does about you," Erza persisted. "And you care about him. Anybody with half a mind can see that."

Of course, she cared about Natsu. They were friends—wasn't that a given? If Lucy were to look back at her life for the past year and a half, she wouldn't see a day where she hadn't been with the dragon slayer, save for the times they were forced to be apart. He had become such a solid fixture in her life that she didn't know where she ended and he began. She didn't dare trivialize their affection for each other.

So it wasn't really a question of whether or not they cared about one another—that was pretty obvious. It was more about what they were to each other that was the problem—for Lucy at least. Who was she to teach Natsu about intimacy? It wasn't a friend's place to do that.

"You don't like Natsu?" Erza inquired, looking a little surprised. "Have I been wrong about that?"

"I—" Lucy couldn't find the words, not wanting to dismiss the idea too easily, but she felt her face burn all the same. Like him? The truth was, she didn't know. And maybe inwardly she had put off knowing so she could continue interacting with Natsu naturally, without her feelings getting in the way.

Erza smirked. "Hmm. Seems to me you still have a lot of thinking to do."

Lucy bit her lip. "I don't think I have any right to teach Natsu about..._that_."

Much to her astonishment, Erza laughed. "That's where you're wrong. _You_ have every right to teach him about _that_."

* * *

"Lucy."

Natsu was whispering in her ear. He was being gentle about it too, something he rarely did, but there he was, leaning over her pillow, murmuring her name. She couldn't see his face in the dark, so she lifted her head and all but bashed her forehead to his nose. He reeled back, cursing, and something about the way he clutched his face and moaned made her blink up in confusion. She raised herself on an elbow. "Natsu?"

"Do you plan on just sleeping all day?" He croaked, glaring at her sideways.

Sleeping? Lucy looked around, disoriented. She was on her bed in her room, the sheets tangled around her legs. The curtains on her window were drawn, blocking out what remained of the daylight. Then she vaguely remembered crawling back into bed after coming home from breakfast with Erza that morning. She groaned, falling back on her pillow and tugging the blanket over her head.

"Oi!" Natsu yanked the sheets off of her. "Get up, lazybones."

She stayed where she was. "What time is it?"

"It's already past three," he said, standing up and crossing his arms over his chest. "You sick or somethin'?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she found herself looking at Natsu in the dim light, recalling what she and Erza had discussed. All at once, her anxiety returned. Did she like him? It was difficult to reject the thought, especially when Erza had seen something between Natsu and her that they themselves hadn't been quite aware of. "What are you doing here?" She asked him.

"Have you seen the contest rules yet?" Natsu asked. "We need to practice!"

A spot of warmth coiled in Lucy's stomach. "Again?"

"They're saying we can only eat while kissing. How stupid is that?!"

Lucy winced. Of course, that was what he would be bothered about. "Can't we just skip eating altogether?"

"Are you crazy?" Natsu spat out. "We'll be up there for hours!"

Lucy closed her eyes, silently praying for a small miracle. She didn't think she could tolerate eating and kissing at the same time. Kissing Natsu was challenging enough. Eating and kissing would call for open mouths and tongues and... Her face grew overly warm.

Probably mistaking her silence for sleep, Natsu looped his fingers around her ankle and dragged her to the edge of the mattress. "C'mon, get your ass out of bed."

She sat up, itching to snap at him that her lack of sleep was all his doing to begin with, but she resisted. She trudged after him to the kitchen instead, noticing belatedly that he was missing a certain blue-furred feline companion. "Where's Happy?"

He shrugged. "He's at the guild with Wendy. He said he'd leave us alone to train."

Lucy couldn't help but smile. Happy could be crazy at times but he wasn't an idiot. Sometimes Lucy even thought he was more perceptive than Natsu. "Don't you get lonely whenever he leaves you for Charle?"

"Not really," he said, propping the fridge door open with his elbow. "I got you too, don't I?" He paused, suddenly narrowing his eyes at her. "And did you really want Happy to watch us kissing? You weirdo."

Lucy blushed. He was so nonchalant about the whole scenario that to an outsider it would seem they'd been doing this forever.

"So what would be a good thing to train with?" Natsu wondered aloud, rummaging through the contents of the refrigerator. "Noodles?"

"_No_." Lucy cringed at the mental image it evoked. Natsu glanced up, puzzled. "No noodles. No fish. Nothing fried. Nothing soupy or smelly. And no meat—"

"No meat?!" He was aghast.

"No meat. For one thing, it would be hard to chew while kissing," she said in distaste. "And another thing, the smell of meat isn't exactly a turn on."

He arched an eyebrow. "A turn on? What's that?"

Lucy pursed her lips. Was this what Erza had meant when she said Natsu needed to be taught? "Er, something that urges you to keep kissing."

"Huh." Natsu leaned against the fridge thoughtfully. "I don't need a turn on. You do it for me well enough."

Lucy went red in the face. "Don't say things like that," she mumbled softly, almost to herself, forgetting for a second that he had very good ears.

"Why not?" He asked. "It's true."

He was so earnest and straight-faced that Lucy wondered if he knew what he was saying at all. And then she realized that he was never the flirty type; coyness wasn't in Natsu's nature. He was direct in everything he did, even this, and that made it all the more dangerous. She sighed. "You shouldn't say things like that to girls so easily because it's kind of a turn on."

"Oh." He straightened up then, letting the fridge door swing closed. "Do you wanna kiss now?"

Lucy rolled her eyes. He definitely still had to learn how to read the atmosphere. She moved toward the fridge, pushing him away slightly. "Step aside. Like you said, we need to train." Ignoring her racing heart, she scanned inside the refrigerator until she found food items that they could use. She'd read about them in a book once, and they weren't exactly ideal for their current situation, but right now they needed all the help they could get. She held them up for him to see.

Natsu made a face immediately. "Strawberries and chocolate?" He said, looking at her as though she was insane. "You know I hate sweet things, right?"

"Fruit can be cut into smaller pieces," she explained, "and chocolate melts in the mouth. The less chewing we do, the better. And these would keep our energy up."

Natsu still appeared largely unconvinced. "But I hate sweets," he said stubbornly.

Lucy clenched her teeth. "I know that," she said. "But we should at least give it a try." Putting the bowl of fruit down on the kitchen counter, she started breaking the bar of dark chocolate into little, manageable pieces. She popped one in her mouth, chewed it for a couple of seconds, then she turned to him and brought her lips up to his. She kissed him lightly, letting the chocolate swirl slowly in her mouth, but somehow she managed it quite clumsily and ended up smearing a bit of chocolate on his lips. She quickly pulled away, embarrassed, but they weren't even inches apart when Natsu pulled her close and mashed his lips on hers.

He kissed her roughly at first, cupping her face in his hands so she couldn't pull away again. But he relented almost instantly, his too-warm mouth moving against hers in such a tender and sensuous manner that Lucy found herself helplessly yielding to him. When did Natsu get to be so good at this? She clung to the front of his shirt as he kissed her, not minding one bit that the chocolate to which he had been so averse had spread all over their heated lips.

It was Natsu who pulled back, much to her dismay. He didn't let her go; instead, he gazed down at her smugly as he licked his lips. "I think I'm starting to like chocolate."

Lucy smiled. "You're learning."

"But we should try it again for practice," he said, and as though to demonstrate his willingness, he chomped off a huge portion of the candy bar, chewed it quickly, then leaned down to kiss her once again. He was more thorough this time, slanting his mouth across hers and coaxing her to respond with the same eagerness. The melted chocolate only served to steep the kiss in a heady, bittersweet flavor, and it was so intoxicating that Lucy couldn't help but want to taste it on his mouth. Tentatively, she brushed the tip of her tongue along his lips. This little move in all its innocence seemed to ignite a spark in him; he groaned against her mouth, the sound of it so raw it spurred a wild yearning somewhere deep inside her, somewhere mysterious and unfamiliar. Heat fanned out all over her limbs.

Seemingly roused by her lead, Natsu only deepened the kiss, sweeping his tongue along the inside of her bottom lip, making her tremble. Lucy laced her arms around his neck to pull him closer, returning his kiss with equal force. When their tongues met, her knees almost gave way from under her, but he held her against him, his hand kneading up and down her back. It was as though he knew exactly what she wanted him to do, which made her doubt what Erza had said about him. If there was anyone being schooled in this training session, it was her. Natsu barely needed any guidance at all.

Their pace had changed so quickly that Lucy mustered what was left of her self-control and broke away from him, very sated but also very confused. Natsu grinned then, resting his forehead against hers, their labored breaths mingling together. He was looking a little too pleased with himself that Lucy wondered what was going through his head because she was certainly feeling at odds with herself. But before she could voice out her concern, he leaned in to kiss her again, softly this time, smoothing away the traces of chocolate from her lips with his own.

"I could get used to this," Natsu mumbled gruffly on her mouth, kissing her leisurely.

"Get used to what?" Lucy managed to ask, distracted by the way he was teasing her.

"Kissing," he said. "Can we do this every day?"

Her heart sank. She would say yes if she didn't think at all, if she just allowed all the wonderful sensations to wash over her. But she was Lucy; logic and reason ruled her motivations. There was nothing in the world that she wanted more than to kiss Natsu every day now that she had gotten a taste of it, but she was greedy and she wanted it on her own terms. Unfortunately, she didn't think Natsu would understand that. She lightly pushed him off. "We're getting ahead of ourselves," she said, keeping her tone light. "Aren't we allowed only three seconds to be apart? We should practice that."

"What are you talking about?"

That he looked so lost brought a small measure of consolation to Lucy. So she wasn't the only one who was too consumed by the kiss that she'd nearly forgotten everything. "I'm talking about the contest rules," she told him.

"Oh," he frowned. "Right."

But neither of them moved; she kept her hands on his shoulders, and he left his arms around her waist. In truth, Lucy wished to linger where she was, to savor this quiet moment with Natsu and just stay in his arms. He'd always been able to make her feel safe whenever they were together and it was no different now. In all the bewilderment that the contest had stirred, she needed something familiar to cling to.

Only... She didn't anticipate that she would be the one to change so quickly. And she was changing. She could feel it in every cell in her body, in the flow of her magic. It wasn't a jolt of electricity like what she had read in books but rather a kind of slow shifting in her consciousness. She looked at Natsu, suddenly uneasy. It would've been a comfort if he were feeling the same way, yet he didn't seem as flustered as she was. If anything, he appeared unruffled as always.

Gingerly, Lucy disentangled herself from his arms. He gazed at her questioningly but said nothing, his arms dropping to his sides. She sought to look as calm as she could manage, retrieving the bowl of strawberries from the counter to dice them into smaller pieces. The last thing she wanted now was for him to hone in on her discomfort. Whatever Erza had thought about them, Lucy knew she wasn't ready to face something so unprecedented. And she didn't really want anything to change between them.

Didn't she?

Beside her, Natsu plucked one of the strawberry cubes she had sliced and munched on it. Then he picked up another one and set it aflame with his fingers, causing Lucy to jump back in surprise. He grinned sheepishly. "Sorry—I just think it's better scorched." He popped the piece into his mouth and his face lit up. "Ah, thought so!"

Lucy gazed at him in wonder. No, she didn't want anything to change. Natsu's guilelessness was one of his strengths, and she didn't want to be the one to mess that up. True, his naivety could be absolutely infuriating at times but it was part of the Natsu she knew and adored.

He picked up another piece of strawberry and lit it up. She shook her head then, unable to stifle a laugh. "Natsu, if you eat them all, we won't have any left to practice with."

He smirked and held the piece up to her mouth. "It's for you, idiot."

"Oh." Her cheeks flushed. Shyly, she opened her mouth. He casually pushed the warm fruit past her lips, his fingertips still a little hot from the fire. She felt her face burn even more. Trying to be as casual as he was, she chewed on the strawberry piece, finding it a tad sweeter and a little mushier than expected. It was also really sticky and—

Natsu bent his head and kissed her suddenly, robbing her of her thoughts. His warm mouth melded with hers fervidly, making her want him even more. He tasted of wood smoke, burnt chocolate, and strawberry jam. Combined with his passion, his taste sent her senses reeling, her heart thundering in her ears. Dropping the knife on the counter, she found herself being drawn against his chest. So this was what Erza meant when she advised her to follow her instincts. It became an all-consuming fight with self-control, one that she would very likely lose if he were to continue kissing her like this. But she wasn't exactly stopping him either.

"We could dip the strawberry in chocolate," Natsu murmured, his tone serious. "That would be—"

She moaned into his mouth, and that prompted him to shut up and take her lips again. Soon enough, the food was forgotten, the contest was forgotten, and the entire world was forgotten. All that existed now was her, him, and this kiss.

* * *

**A/N:** Go, Natsu, go! Kissing parts are the hardest to write, but also the most enjoyable. This chapter took a lot of inspiration. I listened to Des'ree's 'Kissing You' on loop for this one. On to the next chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **Everything concerning Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima. Nothing belongs to me, except the plot of this story.

**Author's Notes: **Yay, chapter 4! Had to edit this several times until I was satisfied.

To those who left reviews for the previous chapters, thank you so much. I tried to make the 3rd chapter as tame as I could just to fit the rating. I really liked how it turned out. **Senbei x Cup Noodles**, I really appreciate your in-depth review! You made me smile so much. And **Celtika82**, I did consider using mashed veggies but then shied away from them since I didn't think Natsu would be amenable to that kind of food, lol. I got the kissing contest idea from modern contests, but I did see an old postcard of a kissing contest from the 1930's.

**Lessons**

* * *

**Chapter 4 - In which kissing is not all fun and games**

* * *

Natsu was having a great start to his day.

For starters, he was having breakfast at the guild hall. And it was his favorite set, too: eggs, sausages, spiced ham, bacon, and roasted potatoes all soaked in the special hot sauce that Lisanna had made just for him. It was a welcome relief from all the sweet and sticky things he'd indulged in yesterday. Though he didn't really whine about them that much—he was otherwise too preoccupied to care—by the time night had fallen, both he and Lucy felt so sick of the sweet food that they just went on training without it. Maybe he could talk her into putting bacon in their allowable food list. The sudden thought of bacon grease on Lucy's pouty mouth made him grin to himself.

"Why do you have that creepy look on your face?" Happy asked, munching on a salty fish on the bar next to him.

"I'm having a great morning," he said, his grin only growing wider. It wasn't just because of breakfast or the thought of using bacon in training, though. He had woken up in Lucy's bed earlier and found her curled up against him under the covers. It was comforting to know that she sought out his warmth when she needed it, since he knew she got cold rather easily. For a change, it felt...nice.

Happy narrowed his eyes at him. "I think Lucy's weirdness is rubbing off on you, Natsu."

Natsu laughed. Maybe it wasn't so bad to be weird like her. On any given day, Lucy's oddities mystified him—she owned too much lacy underwear, for one thing—but lately he'd been seeing her strangeness rather differently. He didn't know the exact reason, but he had a feeling it started after the Grand Magic Tournament. As a team, he and Lucy had been in a lot of shitty, life-threatening situations before, and never in all their confrontations with dark guilds and evil wizards had he allowed serious harm to come to any of his friends, especially to Lucy. But to see her being murdered right in front of him by somebody he had trusted—it was horrifyingly devastating. Even if it hadn't been _his_ Lucy but a version of her from the future, Lucy was still Lucy, and watching her die had jarred him to the point that his mind had gone white from the loss and the rage. It forced him to see things now in a completely altered light, making him appreciate all her little quirks and imperfections. After all, she wouldn't be the Lucy he knew without her weirdness.

But it also changed the way he moved around her. Without undermining her ability to take care of herself, Natsu was more vigilant around her now, particularly when they were out on missions together. His protective instincts almost bordered on paranoia, but he swore to himself that he would never take a chance like that ever again, especially when losing her had been so quick and easy.

This made Natsu glad for the contest now. It gave them a much needed distraction and kept them away from missions, at least for a little while. And though he was already itching to go out on new adventures with Lucy, he was actually enjoying the momentary peace he was having with her. Maybe because he'd discovered that kissing her was also kind of an adventure itself.

And more than he thought he would, he liked kissing her. A lot. It made him nervous, aroused, and fired up all at the same time. He had a very vague idea of what it could mean, but when he kissed Lucy and she responded to him with her little moans, he swore his gut burned from the inside. It was funny how she could easily make his innards feel as though they were filled with molten brimstone.

"Want seconds, Natsu?"

He looked up, momentarily drawn from his thoughts. Lisanna was leaning on the bar, peering at him curiously. "What?"

"Would you like more food?" She asked again, her eyebrows lifting.

"Ah..." He glanced at his empty plate. Sure, he could use some more ham, but thinking about Lucy these last couple of minutes had somehow made him want to see her again. Maybe they could have breakfast together. "Nah, I should probably wait for Lucy."

Mirajane bustled in from behind Lisanna, smiling at Natsu. "You're not with Lucy today?"

"She was still asleep when I left her house," Natsu said.

"Don't you ever wear out your welcome at her place?" Lisanna asked with a smirk. "It's a good thing Lucy-san doesn't mind you crashing on her couch all the time."

"What couch?" Happy mumbled, chewing the last of his fish. "He sleeps in her bed beside her."

Lisanna promptly went red in the face, obviously not expecting this small detail. Mira only giggled. "They are that close after all," the barmaid observed pleasantly.

Natsu smirked gingerly and shrugged, failing to add that sometimes he liked to keep his best friend warm at night. They really didn't need to know that.

Lisanna, her cheeks still flushed, leaned over the bar closer to him when the elder Strauss sister had walked away. "Hey, Natsu. I've been meaning to ask you something," she said in a low voice.

"What's that?"

"Well..." Lisanna paused thoughtfully. "Why did you choose Lucy-san for the contest?"

Natsu blinked, confused by the question. Why? It was like asking why the sky was blue or why Gray was a total pervert. "Because it's just how things are," he answered.

"You mean because you're in a team together?" Lisanna asked.

"No, because it has to be Lucy," Natsu said simply. In truth, he couldn't imagine kissing anyone else in this contest, particularly not in the way he and Lucy had been kissing each other. Doing it with someone else just didn't make a whole lot of sense.

"Oh." Lisanna smiled, a knowing look crossing her face. "I see."

"What?"

But Lisanna waved his question away, chuckling to herself. Happy took his mouth off his fish long enough to point to him and trill, "He lllllllliiiikes Lucy."

Natsu huffed and got up from the bar stool, not really denying it. What was the point? It was the truth. He liked Lucy—but so what? He didn't get why it should be a big deal. "I'm leaving," he said, glancing at Happy. "You coming or what?"

The blue feline made a face. "And watch you and Lucy sucking face? No thanks."

Natsu nodded and murmured parting words to Lisanna, then strode off to the direction of the guild's double doors. He ought to go and wake Lucy up, get her to eat some breakfast, though he grimaced at the thought. She wasn't exactly a morning person. Waking her up before noon would only earn him an earful of her incessant whining, but he felt that they should get an early start today. The contest was only two days away, after all.

Natsu had barely taken ten steps from the bar when Macao and Wakaba spotted him and waved him over to their table. He headed toward them, distracted but curious.

"What's up, guys?"

Macao clapped him on the shoulder merrily. "Hey Natsu. Where's Lucy-chan?" He asked. "Haven't been seeing her around here lately."

"I was just on my way to get her," Natsu replied, jerking his thumb at the doors.

"Been too busy training, huh?" Wakaba chortled, his tobacco dangling from his mouth. The wisecrack gained him a glare from Cana, who was at the table too, sitting across from him and Macao.

The brunette ignored the men's laughter and looked at Natsu, patting the space on the bench next to her. "Sit down, kid."

He gave the exit an idle glance and then plunked down beside her, wondering what was going on. Cana slung an arm around his shoulder and smirked at him conspiratorially.

"How's the training going?" She asked, her eyebrows wiggling. "You're not making Lucy do anything weird, are you?"

Natsu's eyes bugged. "What do you mean?"

"Like using rope," Macao suggested.

"Or candles," Wakaba added.

"Or feathers," Macao said, chuckling. "With bells."

"Oi, don't give the boy ideas," Cana snapped, taking a swig of her mug of ale.

Natsu gaped at the men warily. "Man, you're into some real freaky shit."

They just laughed obnoxiously at that. When Macao had calmed down, he glanced pointedly at Natsu. "But you know, this contest will no doubt make Lucy-chan more popular than ever, huh?"

"Yeah. And the requests for her are already at a record high now, right?" Wakaba said.

"Requests?" Natsu frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Cana set her heavy mug on the table. "Oh, you don't know? Some of the girls have been getting a lot of requests from clients for particular missions lately. Mainly Erza, Juvia, and Lucy."

"Lucy-chan's getting the most requests," Macao said, though his tone was somber. "But Mira-chan's throwing out more than half of 'em because, well, they're quite dubious, aren't they?"

Natsu didn't like the sound of that. "Dubious in what way?"

"They're very indecent. Some are even totally perverted like you wouldn't believe," Cana muttered in disgust. "You'd think we were running some kind of escort service or something."

Natsu's temper flared. "Who made those requests?" He demanded, half rising from his seat.

"Oi, calm down, wouldja?" Wakaba retorted, motioning for him to sit. "Your head is smoking, boy."

"Who made those damned requests?" Natsu hissed through his teeth.

"Only Master and Mira-chan know," Cana replied with a shrug. "But chill out, Natsu. You can't lose your head every time somebody makes a request for Lucy to strut around their house in her underwear. You'll end up murdering a third of Fiore's population."

Natsu sank back down on the bench, fuming. He eyed Cana critically. "How can you be so calm about this?"

"For starters, I don't have to deal with your freaky dragon instincts," she said, smirking. "And secondly, do you really think Master would let requests like that go through? After the publicity we've gotten from winning the Tournament, getting odious requests just comes with the territory."

The drunken mage could be right, but it wouldn't stop Natsu from going to Mira to ask about those dirty requests. If any of those perverts had been stupid enough to leave their names on those things, they would have hell to pay. Natsu would make sure of that.

"Anyway, my point is that this contest will put Lucy-chan on the radar even more," Macao went on, eyeing Natsu carefully. "Which means guys would probably start coming around to ask her out."

Natsu raised his eyebrows. "To do what?"

Cana chuckled. She decked Natsu on the back of his head. "To go out on dates with them, idiot."

"Oh." Natsu frowned again, rubbing his head. He hadn't thought of that. The idea of Lucy going out on dates with strange guys was as foreign to him as kissing had once been. "Would she want to go out with them?"

Wakaba and Macao exchanged a look. Obviously, they didn't know the answer to that, either.

"Of course, she would!" Cana crowed. "What decent girl wouldn't want to get a boyfriend?"

"You don't seem to be in a hurry," Natsu retorted snidely. He ducked his head as Cana moved to cuff him one more time.

"No man in Fiore is foolish enough to risk Gildarts's rage," Macao said, chuckling.

Cana huffed and shook her head. "Stupid old man," she muttered. "He makes it impossible for me to get laid."

Natsu folded his arms over the table. Now that the topic of boyfriends was brought up, he couldn't seem to shake the idea off. Macao had a point, though. Lucy was already popular enough, even without the buzz from the Tournament. If the recent influx in mage requests was any indication, she would probably soon be presented with offers from suitors as well. Frankly, he didn't know how he would deal with that. Unwanted attention was always easier to ward off—he knew that Lucy would welcome his help. But what if it was Lucy herself that solicited their advances? Would he still be allowed to interfere?

And if Lucy got herself a boyfriend, would Natsu still be allowed to kiss her?

Natsu squirmed in his seat, not liking where his thoughts were going. He was having a good day, dammit. He didn't need any of this crap right now.

Honing in on the visible change in his temperament, Cana elbowed him on the ribs. "What's wrong, kid?"

Natsu raked his fingers through his thick hair, feeling a little disgruntled. "Would... Would Lucy want to kiss them?"

Macao leaned forward on the table, frowning. "Kiss who?"

Natsu couldn't bear to say it. "Other guys," he hissed.

For a long moment, the three older mages stared at him wordlessly. Their silence spoke volumes. Natsu wondered if he had somehow tapped into a subject that was taboo to talk about. True, he hadn't broached this kind of thing with anyone in the guild before, but that was only because he'd never really had any interest in it in the past. Who cared if who kissed whom? That was their business. But anything that involved Lucy always concerned him. _Always_. They shouldn't be acting so surprised now.

It was Cana who broke the quiet. She cleared her throat and faced Natsu squarely on the bench. "Would it matter to you if she wanted to kiss other guys?" She asked.

The answer, though absurdly clear, lodged in Natsu's throat. An image of Lucy kissing a nameless man quickly flickered in his head and a sudden pang lanced through him, the sheer force of it catching him off guard. Unwittingly, he kneaded his knuckles just under his breastbone, right where the pain started. He could feel his skin still prickling as though he was reacting to something ominous and unwanted. What was wrong with him? And why would Lucy want to kiss other guys?

Wakaba blew out a swirl of smoke, gazing at him in wonder. "You like Lucy-chan."

Natsu sighed. "Why does everyone keep saying that like it's a new thing?"

"So you've always liked her?" Macao probed.

"Of course I've always liked her," Natsu grumbled. "She's my friend."

Cana snorted. "Natsu, friends don't necessarily want to kiss each other."

"Yeah, they do," he interjected, wondering if Cana even knew anything for certain.

"No, they don't," the card mage replied, adamant. "Not like the way you want to kiss Lucy, whatever way that is."

He glared at her. "You mean you don't kiss Macao or Wakaba?"

"Hell, no." Cana grimaced. "Ew."

Instead of taking offense, the two older men only laughed.

Natsu was totally at a loss now. If friends didn't kiss each other after all, why did Lucy kiss him that day at the train station? She had said that it had been her way of thanking him, but did that mean she went around kissing other guys in the guild, too? Like Gray? Or Loki? Somehow, that made his mood sour even more.

Cana patted his shoulder sympathetically. "Hey, if you and Lucy want to kiss each other, then more power to you. Maybe it just means your bond is more evolved than other people's, you know?"

"That's right," Macao seconded. "Nakama do tend to grow a different kind of bond over time. Take Bisca and Alzack, for instance."

"Or Elfman and Ever," Cana added.

"Or Cana and Bacchus," Wakaba murmured.

"Oi! That guy's not my nakama!" Cana countered, glaring at the smokes mage.

"Yeah, but you wanna kiss him," Wakaba baited, grinning.

"Shut up! I do not!" Cana's face was turning a brilliant shade of red. Natsu supposed that her drinking must be finally catching up to her.

"Bacchus?" He echoed quizzically, perking up at the familiar name. "You mean that drunken freak from Quattro Puppy?"

"Shut up, Natsu." She darted him a lethal glance. "Anyway, aren't you supposed to be going somewhere? Don't let us keep you." She swiftly shoved him off the bench with her foot, making Macao and Wakaba bark out in more laughter.

"It was you guys who called me over," Natsu grumbled in disbelief, turning around and stalking off toward the door. Drunk people really did operate in a different sort of wavelength. He could never understand their overindulgence in drinking, even though he enjoyed a mug of firewhiskey every once in a while.

Outside the guild, the sun was already high up in the sky. Almost instantly, Natsu's mood lightened, the brightness of the morning lending him the usual spring in his step. He faced forward and headed to the direction of Lucy's apartment, suddenly determined. There was just no use in mulling things over. Though he still felt a bit troubled by the questions that Cana and Macao had raised, things would be easily resolved if he talked to Lucy. If anybody had the answers, it would be her. And then maybe after talking, he could kiss her even more.

He was about to round the corner when he heard a familiar voice in the wind. It was calling his name. He swung around, only to find Cana sprinting after him, squinting in the morning light. When she had finally caught up to him, she was panting heavily, clutching at a stitch on her side.

"What is up with this light?!" She cursed, shielding her eyes with her hand.

"It's called sunlight," Natsu said good-naturedly, guffawing. "Did you want me for something?"

"Are you on your way to Lucy's house now?" Cana asked. "To train?"

"That's the plan," Natsu nodded.

"Well, ditch that plan," the card mage said, "and spend the morning with me."

Natsu's brows shot upward. "Why?"

Cana grinned, linking her arm with his. "Because Nee-chan has some tips to share with you."

* * *

Lucy sneezed.

It was the third time now. She hoped she wasn't coming down with something this late in the season; she certainly didn't want to drop out of the contest just because of a measly cold. But if she had caught a bug, could she have gotten it from Natsu? The idea seemed doubtful; Natsu rarely ever got sick. She didn't know how dragon slayer immune systems worked, but was it possible for Natsu to carry the cold virus and not know about it?

Oh well. If she had caught a bug from Natsu, it would be too late to worry about it now. And maybe it wasn't a bug at all. Maybe she was just being talked about somewhere.

She shrugged off the thought and kept walking down the long hallway. She had rushed to Fairy Hills that morning after breakfast in hopes of finding Levy, desperate for the petite mage's company. Though it wasn't Lucy's habit to drop in on her friend unannounced, she just had to talk to her. This contest, and all that it entailed, was slowly driving her insane.

Take yesterday, for instance. It was supposed to have been a straightforward training session. She figured that as long as she and Natsu kept their focus, they would be able to kiss for a long time without breaking any of the contest rules. How wrong and foolish she had been. Any semblance of focus or restraint on her part had broken away the moment she tasted chocolate and strawberry in his mouth and felt his arms closing around her. It was scary how Natsu had easily overwhelmed her senses that she'd all but handed him free reign over her as though it was his right. Anyone else could have already taken advantage of her willingness. In the end, it was Natsu's ignorance that had protected her from him.

Still, Lucy had let herself lose control. That was her mistake. Who was she kidding? No matter how smart she thought she was, she wasn't quite immune to Natsu and his whims. Though terribly innocent, her dragon slayer friend was unknowingly devious.

But, admittedly, there were also private moments from last night that Lucy wished to relish. Like when she had gotten out of the bath and discovered Natsu sprawled out on her bed, fast asleep. She'd been irritated at first, but then the sight of Natsu's sleeping face stopped her from lashing out. It wasn't very often that she could witness his peaceful side; he spent so much of his waking hours being a giant ball of energy that at times it was hard to keep track of where he was and what he was up to. So Lucy crawled in bed next to him, compelled to look at him for a little while. She felt like a creep for it, but it was odd how watching him sleep gave her a sense of peace somehow. Very few people got to see him in his most vulnerable state, and Lucy felt strangely blessed that he was secured enough around her to be so unguarded and relaxed.

The soft, even sounds of his breathing eventually lulled her to sleep, and when she heard him murmur her name, she sidled close to him as though he had pulled her in, his warmth cloaking around her like a blanket. It was for this reason that she rarely kicked him out of her bed these days. He felt a lot like home to her now.

Was that why she'd been so disappointed this morning when she woke up and found him gone? Seeing the empty space on the bed beside her had left a bitter taste in her mouth. Her instinctive reaction stunned her. Natsu was her closest friend, but why was she acting like a scorned lover? She needed to manage her own expectations. But first she needed to find a way out this fog of confusion.

Which brought her to Fairy Hills. She couldn't be the only one who was feeling this way, right? Levy would probably be up to her neck in qualms, seeing as Gajeel wasn't the easiest man in Fairy Tail to get along with. The script mage liked the iron dragon slayer so much that Lucy was afraid how Gajeel's abrasiveness would affect her. One thoughtless acidic retort from him could break her gentle friend's heart.

Her thoughts were still on Levy as she neared her friend's door, but when she turned the corner, she stopped cold. Juvia was emerging from her room, looking unkempt and disoriented. Before Lucy had the mind to duck, the water mage spotted her.

"Juvia's love rival!" She yelped, shock registering on her features. "Is Lucy-san here to spy on Juvia?"

"No," Lucy said quickly before Juvia could jump to further conclusions about her presence. "I'm here to see Levy. What happened to you?"

"Huh?"

Lucy walked over to her and motioned to her wavy blue hair, which was unusually disheveled. "You look a little out of it. Are you alright?"

Juvia reached up and smoothed her hair, albeit unsuccessfully. Some strands were still sticking out in all directions. "Y-Yes, Juvia is fine. Juvia just woke up and was on her way to—"

At that moment, the door to her room opened, and there stood Gray, as naked as the day he was born. "Juvia, don't forget the—oh, Lucy! Hi. What's up?"

Lucy gaped at him, unable to find the words. He appeared a little mussed up himself, his expression sheepish but unconcerned. She turned to Juvia and saw how flushed her face had gotten. Then Lucy realized what she had walked into and felt her own face grow hot. Juvia, disheveled. Gray, naked. Everything clicked into place.

They were doing some 'training' of their own.

Mortified, Lucy put a hand to her eyes and turned to Gray's general direction. "Would you put some clothes on? If Erza finds you like this—"

"Oh, sorry!" Gray promptly closed the door, but not before he added, "Don't forget the ice cream, Juvia."

Ice cream? Lucy glanced at the water mage, but Juvia kept her gaze averted, her blush only deepening. _Ice cream?!_ It seemed that some things were better left to the imagination.

She was about to hastily excuse herself from the awkward situation but Juvia grabbed her wrist at the last minute and started dragging her down the hallway to the direction whence she came, opposite Levy's dorm room. "Juvia?!"

The water mage's grip tightened. "Come with Juvia for a moment."

Helpless, Lucy followed her obligingly, though she also felt a little intrigued. Juvia ended up taking her to the dormitory's kitchen, where she parked her by the island counter and stared her down until Lucy was appropriately weirded out.

"Please don't tell Erza-san about Gray-sama being here."

Lucy blinked. Well, that was unexpected. "Of course," she said quickly. "But won't she allow it if you explained things to her properly?"

Juvia shook her head. "It's the dormitory's strictest rule: no men are allowed inside, especially in the bedrooms."

"That makes sense." She gave Juvia a fleeting glance. "So... You and Gray...?"

"Gray-sama and Juvia are training for the contest," the water mage replied. She narrowed her eyes. "Are you jealous?"

Lucy winced. "No. I keep telling you, Gray and I are just friends."

"Hmm." Seemingly content with that, Juvia nodded. She turned around and headed toward the full-size commercial refrigerator in the corner. "Gray-sama is very kind."

Lucy stilled, wondering what Juvia meant by that. The blue-haired mage was always so poised that it was hard to read her expressions. "I know this is none of my business but... Doesn't it get difficult?"

Juvia passed her a confused glance. "What do you mean?"

She didn't know if it was wise to even bring the subject up. "Training with Gray... Kissing him... I'm sure it has to be tricky—"

"Because Juvia likes him?"

Lucy couldn't help but feel admiration for her bluntness. Juvia had always been honest about her feelings for Gray, even though they went unacknowledged most of the time. It took a certain type of courage to be able to handle that kind of rejection over and over again. "Well, yeah."

Juvia's brows furrowed. "Juvia is happy to be able to support Gray-sama in any way she can."

"But to kiss him?" Lucy asked, bewildered. "To be so intimate with him? It doesn't seem fair for the whole thing to be so...one-sided." She pursed her lips. "I just think that you deserve better, Juvia."

Much to her surprise, Juvia smiled, a shy blush coloring her cheeks. "That's what Gray-sama said, too," she murmured, taking out a vat of ice cream from the freezer. "But the heart wants what the heart wants. People can't choose who they fall in love with—it doesn't work like that."

Lucy watched in silence as Juvia proceeded to scoop ice cream into a bowl. It was interesting that the water mage had taken out only a single bowl but brought out two spoons, as though it was already natural for her and Gray to share. Perhaps they'd been doing it for a while now and nobody had noticed. Hadn't she and Natsu been doing the same? When was the last time Natsu had slept in his own house? Her chest tightened.

"Juvia knows that sometimes she seems...pathetic," the water mage began quietly, peering up at Lucy. "And it hurts too, when Gray-sama ignores Juvia... But, as strange as it sounds, Juvia is contented with the way things are. If Juvia can bring even a little bit of happiness to Gray-sama, then that makes her happy too." She closed her eyes in her usual attempt to compose herself. "If I became selfish... He might consider my feelings a burden. I don't want that to happen."

Lucy's eyes widened. It was the first time she had ever heard Juvia refer to herself as her own person. She managed a small smile. "I think I understand what you mean now," she said. "And I'm sorry...if I seemed a bit presumptuous..."

Juvia shook her head. "It's because Lucy-san is worried too, right?"

"Me?" She echoed, puzzled.

"Your eyes gave you away," Juvia said. "You're worried about things being...one-sided."

Ah, there it was. The thing that Lucy didn't dare to acknowledge herself, spelled out in the open. She swallowed.

"But Juvia is your biggest rival in love," Juvia went on, her eyes suddenly shooting daggers at her. "And Juvia won't lose to you, so stop trying to steal Gray-sama."

Lucy sighed. "_Ne_, I already told you—"

"But if you went after Natsu-san, it would be perfect," Juvia interjected with a grin, replacing the tub of ice cream in the fridge. "Because Natsu-san already likes Lucy-san."

Lucy smirked despite herself. Juvia was mistaken, of course, but she doubted that the blue-haired mage would listen to any of her protestations.

"Anyway, Juvia thinks Levy-san is in the resource room with Gajeel-kun," Juvia said, and then she added quickly, "but don't tell Erza-san."

"Oh. Thanks." Lucy watched as Juvia took the bowl of ice cream from the counter and headed out of the kitchen. But before the water mage could leave entirely, Lucy called out, "Better do something about Gray's stripping, though. We don't want you losing because of that now, do we?"

Juvia glanced at her over her shoulder. "Juvia is already on top of it. You should worry more about yourself for slacking off too much. If you have time to be loafing around here, maybe you should be doing some training instead."

Lucy gaped after her wordlessly, half-inclined to laugh at her sauciness. Juvia never ceased to amaze her. Without her even realizing it, Lucy had gotten what she had come to Fairy Hills for, and it had been handed to her by the one person she had least expected. She would never make light of Juvia's insightfulness ever again.

Nevertheless, she made her way to the basement where the resource room was, but she found neither Levy nor Gajeel in the darkly lit library. Maybe they had moved on to a different place that was free of the threat of Erza, though Lucy couldn't imagine the armor mage doing Levy any harm if she had discovered the pair within the dormitory. Erza would most probably direct all her righteous anger on Gajeel. The thought of Erza chasing the large bear of a dragon slayer out of the building made Lucy unwittingly laugh to herself.

Left with not much else to do, she decided to head back home. Hopefully, she'd be able to see Levy at the guild at dinner time, if she could convince Natsu to go out to eat. Lately, all he'd wanted to do was stay in and 'train.' While his dedication to the task was commendable, Natsu was also surprisingly insatiable.

The mere thought of Natsu's natural abilities in kissing immediately made Lucy's whole body grow hot. Despite all her misgivings, she enjoyed their trainings very much. Still, she took the long way home, if only to distance herself from her fervent Natsu-laden thoughts. She went around Market Street, bought lunch for two, and got some fish for Happy. She bought Natsu some charcoal for his fire meals. She even bought ice cream. And when she finally ran out of reasons to delay going home, she trudged back to her apartment as slowly as she could, her heart hammering in her chest all the while.

And as expected, Natsu was there, waiting steadfastly for her. Oh dear Mavis, she was in big, big trouble.

* * *

**A/N**: After the last chapter, this one seems pretty tame, right? But this part just had to be written; it seemed fitting. Also, I meant this story to be told just from Lucy's POV, but then when I finished chapter 3, I figured I could show Natsu's own thoughts as well because it would make things more interesting. I'll probably show more of his POV in the succeeding chapters.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **Everything concerning Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima. Nothing belongs to me, except the plot of this story.

**Author's Notes: **Can't believe I'm already on Chapter 5! This is by far my favorite chapter because I think it has the most heart. However, anyone who's uncomfortable with non-innocent suggestive themes, you may have to forgo this chapter. When I started writing this fic, I really had this particular scene in mind but I didn't want to make it into a Rated M fic because that's not what I wanted to show at all. So this is as tame as things between Natsu and Lucy could get in their kissing training. No, don't get your hopes up—there's no sex here.

Also, to those who left reviews in the last chappy, thank you so much. I'm having a little problem with chapter 6, though. I'm exploring several avenues where I want the story to go so I'm just trying to narrow down my options. If you don't get a chapter next week, it means I'm still ironing things out. I will try to stick to my release schedule, though, (I usually update on Thursdays) despite my carpal tunnel acting up. I will ignore the pain! Wish me luck.

**Lessons**

* * *

**Chapter 5 - In which the greatest truths are the simplest**

* * *

"Where the hell have you been?"

It wasn't exactly the welcome Lucy had anticipated. The dragon slayer was lounging on her couch with a dark expression on his face, his arms crossed over his chest. His shirt was unbuttoned all the way down, gaping open at the front, exposing his pectorals and the rippling muscles of his abdomen. Lucy cursed inwardly, feeling herself flush. He expected them to train with him looking like that? He had to be kidding. "I bought us lunch," she said distractedly, trying not to gape at him too much. "And I swung by Fairy Hills to see Levy-chan but she wasn't there."

"Oh, you were gonna spy?" Natsu grinned in approval.

"No, I was just going to see how she was doing," Lucy answered, walking over to him. She put the store-bought things on the coffee table and passed him a furtive glance. "What about you? Where did you go this morning?"

"Hm?" He pulled one of the packages toward him. "I went to the guild. Lisanna cooked me breakfast."

A tight sort of pain squeezed around Lucy's heart. She knew the sudden feeling was irrational and quite misplaced considering the circumstances, but there it was, constricting in her chest, making it hard to breathe. She ignored it, kicking off her shoes and settling down on the couch next to Natsu. He had already torn open one of the paper bags and was glowering at the pint of vanilla ice cream he'd found.

"What's this?" He asked.

Lucy blushed again despite herself. "Dessert," she replied nonchalantly.

"For us? But it's cold." Natsu grimaced, setting it aside. "And it's something that that stripping pervert would like."

"He's training with it," Lucy smirked. "With Juvia."

Natsu's eyes widened. "So you did spy!" He smiled widely, grabbing the ice cream once more and flipping the lid open, as though he could garner Gray's secrets from taking a peek at it. Before Lucy could have any idea of what he was up to, he'd already taken a fork from one of the takeout lunches and was digging into the tub, scooping a forkful into his mouth. He frowned, puzzled. "I don't get it. It's just like flavored milk."

"Maybe it melts too fast in your mouth," Lucy said wonderingly. "Since you've got fire in there and all. Pity."

Natsu glanced at her and all but shoved the fork and ice cream to her face. "Show me."

"What?"

"Show me," he urged. "Eat some and show me. Like you did with the chocolate."

Lucy's stomach churned. "I don't want to."

"Why the hell not?"

She bristled, for once annoyed by his insistence. She didn't want to make up some asinine reason to explain her reluctance, but she also didn't want him to think that she'd do whatever he demanded. Besides, to eat ice cream and kiss him... It seemed a very risky notion. She didn't think she could endure any more of what had transpired the previous day.

"Ah," Natsu crowed when she failed to say anything. "I get it. You're scared."

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Scared? Of what, exactly?"

"Of trying it and ending up wanting to kiss me all day." He smirked at her in challenge. "Like yesterday."

Lucy clenched her fists reflexively. She knew he was baiting her, knew that she was above falling for it when it was so obviously dangled in front of her. But he was looking so terribly arrogant that she ached to wipe that stupid grin off his face and teach him a lesson of his own, one that he would most likely never forget. So she swiped the fork and ice cream from his hands. Damning all male dragon slayers to hell, she licked her lips and took in a forkful of ice cream.

The cold cream hit the roof of her mouth, instantaneously causing her to wince from brain freeze. She pursed her lips and relaxed her jaw, seeking to keep the dessert on the center of her tongue so that it wouldn't melt all at once. Then she leaned toward Natsu. He was watching her eagerly, the giddy anticipation clear on his face. She placed her hands on his cheeks, touching him lightly, and then bent her head closer to his. She didn't kiss him right away as he had been expecting. She held back mere millimeters away, close enough that her lips brushed his. She felt his breath hitch.

He waited for her to move. Painfully, too, as Lucy could tell. His fire magic thrummed under his skin, causing the air between them to vibrate almost imperceptibly. Still, she let her lips hover over his, not quite kissing him but teasing him, breathing cool air on his mouth. And when he tilted his head forward in his impatience, she turned so that his lips landed on her cheek instead.

Lucy swallowed the ice cream. She didn't want to kiss him like this, when he clearly only saw it as a means to an end. She pulled away, the fight suddenly going out of her.

"Lucy?" He regarded her in confusion.

She smirked. "I want a bath."

"Right now?!" He gaped at her. "But—!"

"Hey, it was hot outside. I walked around Market Street for a bit just to buy food." To prove her point, she began taking out their boxed lunches from the paper bags on the table. "You can eat now if you want."

"I really don't feel like eating right now, though."

Lucy glanced at him in surprise. Natsu was refusing food? He was glowering at her, his frustration rolling off him in waves. It made her wonder if he was aware of how he appeared right now. He looked like he was about to get into a serious battle. "What do you want, Natsu?" She couldn't help but ask.

"I want—" He let out a disgruntled breath. He clenched his teeth and quickly edged closer to her on the small couch, leaving her no room to move away. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips firmly on hers, his hand catching her cheek, his rough fingers brushing across her skin. "I want _this_," he mumbled softly to her.

Her breath caught. "But Natsu—"

He only kissed her more, muffling her protest. Lucy wanted to fight him but felt defenseless against the way his warm mouth moved on hers. He was making her forget herself again. But why should she stop him when doing this with him felt so perfect? It was a mystery she didn't really care to solve.

Oddly, it was Natsu who drew away. He stared at her, frowning heavily, the way he had done on the first day of their training. "I don't get it," he said hoarsely. "Why do you make me feel like this?"

Lucy blinked, her senses still a little hazy. "Like what?"

"Like…" His eyebrows furrowed even deeper. "Like I have indigestion or something."

She glared at him. "That bad?"

"No, idiot." He blew out a sigh, looking uncertain. Then he grabbed her hand and flattened her palm against his bare abdomen, just above the waistband of his trousers. "When we kiss, I get hot acid in here. It's like I'm burning from inside but in a really good way."

Lucy bit her lip, unable to help the rush of warmth that crept up her neck to her face. He was pressing her hand against his muscles so hard that she could feel them flexing under his hot skin.

"What about you?" Natsu asked, his gaze expectant. "How do I make you feel?"

Her mouth went dry. She met his gaze, her dread making her stomach churn. And what should she say? Should she take his hand and press it against her chest as well, just to show him how he made her heart beat so fast that it threatened to jump out of her? Did he expect her to tell him that when he kissed her, she felt a hundred different things at once, but mostly she felt like she was riding a roiling wave that threatened to envelope her? Was she supposed to say that being with him now, like this, was akin to standing on the edge of a cliff, making her want to do nothing but jump? Would he be able to discern the obvious gap in their feelings if she told him all of that?

A painful lump formed in Lucy's throat. She tried to smile at him in spite of the threat of oncoming tears. Suddenly she understood everything now.

She didn't like Natsu. Quite far from it, actually. She was in love with him.

"Lucy?"

"I need to take that bath now," she mustered, retrieving her hand from his hold.

"But you didn't answer my question."

"Different things," she said then, meeting his eyes. "You make me feel different things, Natsu." It was a condensed version of the truth, at least.

He arched his eyebrows. "Good things?"

"Good and bad," she said. "But mostly good things."

He nodded, smiling slightly but still looking unsure. "Can I make the bad things better?"

"Maybe." In truth, Lucy wasn't sure herself. But there was no point in troubling him with something he couldn't help or understand. It seemed to have appeased him anyway; he let her go to the bathroom without another word.

In the bath, Lucy let her newfound feelings stew in the fragrant hot water, seeking to make sense of them. How could she have been so clueless about her own feelings? It was as if she was only beginning to discover a new facet of herself, a part of her that was foreign and unrecognizable. Maybe she'd had an inkling of it all this time but just chose to ignore it because it made things less complicated. Natsu was her most precious friend. She had no business having this sort of feelings for him.

But the cold truth was that she did have feelings for him—very profound feelings at that. And now that she was aware of it, what was she going to do?

"Lucy."

She started, stunned to see Natsu popping his head into the bathroom and charging past the thick curtain that served as her bathroom door.

"Natsu! What the hell!" She ducked her shoulders under the water, though she'd only used bath salts and the water in the tub was transparent in the light. She crossed her arms over her breasts, trying to hide her nakedness.

His gaze briefly went over her nonetheless. "I wanna ask you something," he said.

"Then turn around!" She shrieked.

"But I've seen you naked before—"

"I don't care! Just turn around!"

Petulantly, he obliged, turning his back to her. "There. Happy now?"

"I'd be happier if you got out," she snapped.

He glanced at her over his shoulder. "Like I said—"

"_Natsu!_"

"Oh, right." He swung back around to face away from her. "What's the big deal? It's not like I haven't seen your goods before."

"Shut up!"

His shoulders were shaking. He was laughing! Cursing him, Lucy cupped her hands and doused him with water from the tub.

"Oi! Idiot, stop that!" He yowled. "Tch, you made my pants wet!"

"Why are you in here?!" Lucy demanded.

"I just wanted to know if you kiss Gray and Loki too!" He spat back.

Lucy stopped throwing water at him, gawking at his back. "What?"

"Do you kiss them the way you kiss me?" He asked, looking at her sideways.

"Of course not!" She was so astounded by his question that she completely forgot to cover herself. "I don't kiss them at all."

He nodded, seeming to accept this.

"What made you ask that, Natsu?"

He hung his head. "I just wondered… That day at the train station, you said you kissed me because you wanted to thank me for getting your bag back. I figured, maybe it's something you normally do to give thanks—"

"It's not!" She was horrified. "I mean… I've kissed other people before to thank them, but only on the cheek—"

"Really?" He turned around then so he could look at her fully.

She nodded, unabashed.

"Then why did you kiss me?" He asked, his gaze growing intense.

Why? Lucy leaned back in the tub, at a loss for words. It was the biggest question of all, wasn't it? Even if she hadn't meant to kiss him on the mouth that day, she had still wanted to kiss him all the same. So how was it different? She watched the water ripple around her as she sorted out her conflicted thoughts, not wanting him to misunderstand. "Because you're Natsu," she answered finally. "You're a constant to me. You believe in me even when I don't believe in myself. And you always manage to help me no matter what, so kissing you was my way to show you how much I appreciated you."

"So you're saying it was for gratitude?" Natsu asked.

"No," Lucy clarified quickly, refusing to simplify it in such a way. It was their first kiss, after all—it meant more to her than that. "I'm saying I wouldn't have done it if it had been Gray or Loki or anyone else," she pointed out. "I know everyone in the guild helps each other out all the time because we're family, but you're the only one who goes out of his way to make sure that I'm always happy, Natsu. And you do make me happy. More than you know."

"O-Oh." He didn't seem to have expected this. He cleared his throat, scratching his cheek, a sheen of pink creeping up his face. "Well, that is…" Grumbling an oath under his breath, he cast her a quick look and then rushed out of the bathroom, the door curtain billowing in his wake.

Lucy stared at the empty space he'd stood in, feeling a heavy weight settle in her chest. There, she had done it, hadn't she? She had all but gushed out her stupid mushy feelings to him, leaving him no other choice but to flee. She wouldn't blame him if he had left the apartment without a word to her. Sighing, she slumped against the side of the tub, suddenly defeated.

What had Juvia said about not wanting to be selfish? The water mage played it safe because she didn't want to burden Gray. But would that suit Lucy too? Would she be able to carry on normally as though nothing had happened just to maintain her friendship with Natsu?

The truth was that, contrary to what Juvia believed, Lucy wanted to be selfish. She wanted Natsu. She wanted to be his best friend and more. She wanted to have the whole nine yards with him.

And while she wallowed in her bath and pondered on the fate she shared with her best friend, what she didn't know was that Natsu was just on the other side of the door curtain, unable to stay still. He was going round and round the den, worrying a track on the hardwood floor, torn between going back into the bathroom and just waiting patiently on the couch. Patience was one virtue he lacked, though. Self-restraint was another. He glowered at the curtain now and again, grounding his teeth. Lucy would have his head on a stick if he barged in there again, but how could he control himself after hearing all the things she said about him?

He shook his head vigorously as though the motion alone could clear his mind. So she hadn't been kissing other guys in the guild as he had imagined. And she said he made her happy. Did that mean he was the only person she wanted to kiss then? The mere idea of it made him growl in pleasure. When she told him how she felt, he was so moved that it was all he could do not to scoop her out of the water and hold her. Her gentle honest words, coupled with the way she looked in that tub, all pink and dewy and naked, had threatened to break his resolve that he fled from the tiny bathroom as fast as he could just to get away from the bath steam that was saturated with her warm scent. It was driving him crazy.

She was driving him crazy.

Natsu wondered if any of this was normal. He wasn't one to second-guess himself because he always did what he thought was right, but this gut-wrenching feeling was so alien to him that he had no idea what to do. Had he always been so illogical around Lucy? And why did he feel the need to question her about whom she kissed anyway? That wasn't his business.

But he wanted it to be. So what did that mean?

The bathroom curtain fluttered, and a wisp of Lucy's scent wafted through the gap in the heavy fabric towards him, making his gut simmer. He held his breath, seeking to collect his wits about him. It wouldn't do him any good to lose it now. For one thing, Lucy probably wouldn't like it much if he lost control.

So he tramped toward the kitchen to deter himself, Cana's tips circling in his mind. At the moment, he still had things he needed to do.

* * *

Lucy stayed in the bath until the water went cold. She figured getting sick would be the least of her worries now that Natsu had a general idea of how she felt. But would he go as far as dropping out of the contest and forfeiting to Gray and Gajeel entirely? She bit her lip. Perhaps she'd been too hasty in telling him the truth. Since the situation was something they'd never encountered before, there was no knowing how Natsu would react. But she was so convinced he would be keeping his distance from her that when she emerged from the bathroom and saw him sitting in the living room, she was too surprised to speak for a full minute.

Natsu only stared back at her, gauging her reaction.

She cleared her throat. "You're still here?"

He blinked. "Where else would I be?"

All at once, his words soothed her disquiet. That was all it took. She had probably worried about him needlessly. She smiled at him, feeling sheepish. "I guess we still do need to train."

Natsu grinned. "Come here, then. I've got a trick to show you."

"A trick?" Intrigued, Lucy ambled toward the couch and sat down beside him. She watched as he cupped his hands around a bowl of thick, amber-colored liquid on the table and set it on fire for a few seconds. Then he dipped two fingers in it as though to test the temperature.

"Gimme your hand," he said, and she acquiesced tentatively. Natsu held her hand with her palm up and daubed the inner part of her wrist with the heated sticky liquid. The sweet nectar scent reached her nose.

"Honey?" She asked, looking up at him in disbelief.

He nodded, smirking. "Is it warm enough?"

"It's fine, but—" She balked as Natsu pulled her hand up and planted his mouth on her wrist, his tongue softly laving her skin. She gasped at the sensation, her stomach seeming to drop to her knees. "W-What—"

"Cana said honey can improve our momentum," Natsu replied, rubbing her wrist with his thumb. "And it can also keep us from being sick." He looked up at her. "Hm? Why's your face so red?"

"I—" She held her free hand up to her cheek. It was as though a fire suddenly started from inside her. "Cana?" She mumbled distractedly.

He nodded. "She taught me some things."

"Things?" Lucy frowned. "What kinds of things?"

"Things about honey." He picked up the bowl from the table and dunked his fingers into it again. Then, to Lucy's trepidation, he moved near her and brought his honey-dipped fingers to her face. She stopped breathing. Natsu traced her lips with the warm syrup, a drop of it snaking down her chin to her neck. She could've stopped him then—she knew playing like this would only lead to even messier things—but somehow her curiosity overrode her rational faculties. When he was done, he met her gaze. Strange, his eyes were darker now. "Cana said it will help us loosen up," he mustered gruffly.

Loosen up? Just how much loosening up did they need? Lucy swallowed, resisting the urge to lick her lips. "In that case…" She took the bowl from him and followed his lead. Painting a tiny amount of honey on his lips, she touched him freely, her fingertips tracking the shape of his mouth. There was something so carnal about the act that it filled her belly with an intense kind of warmth. Natsu drew ever closer to her, his breath fanning her cheek.

"Lucy," he murmured, and it was his throaty plea that did her in. She tilted her face up to him as his mouth crashed on hers, and she readily welcomed his roughness. He kissed her hard, greedily, as though he couldn't get enough, as though they were running out of time. It was far from the sort of kisses they'd shared in the last few days—he wasn't teasing now but demanding, and she was meeting his every need with much the same impatience. There was nothing innocent or chaste about this kiss.

Lucy's arms laced around Natsu's neck of their own accord. She didn't yet comprehend any of her actions, but she knew she yearned to be as close to him as possible. He seemed to hone in on this as he slid his lips along hers and coaxed them to part, his tongue darting into her mouth, willing her to respond. She gasped at the urgency in his breath and kissed him back wantonly, her senses swirling and filling with him—his heat, his scent, his taste. He was intoxicating. And the syrup—_dear Mavis_—the syrup only served to heighten the sensations. It was sweet, sticky, and hot all at the same time.

In their passion, Natsu snaked his muscular arms around her waist and hoisted her up on his lap so that she straddled him. Dazed by the sudden intimacy of their positions, Lucy broke away from his kiss, looking down at him. He met her gaze with dark, heavy-lidded eyes.

"You okay?" He breathed out, his fingers threading through her hair.

She nodded once, her hands clutching on his shoulders. "You know sitting like this isn't allowed in the contest, right?"

He smirked and angled his head up so that his lips traced the line of her jaw. "So what?" He whispered on her skin, making her shiver. Then he captured her mouth in another heady kiss.

He alternated between tenderness and gruffness that Lucy didn't know which kiss she liked best. When his lips strayed from hers to trail down her throat, she stopped thinking altogether. He raked his mouth along her neck to follow the track of honey he had left, nipping at her skin and smoothing the gentle bites with his tongue. Lucy fisted her hands in his hair, consumed by the wild way he teased her. Her pulse drummed in her ears, and the fire that started in her belly swiftly stirred anew, shooting jets of warmth through her veins. She knew then that they had to stop soon. They were treading on very dangerous ground.

"Natsu..." She didn't recognize her own voice. "This isn't training anymore."

"I don't care." He nuzzled the skin just south of her ear. She leaned into him, hearing herself moan. He grunted in response, his hands slowly creeping up her ribs and cupping her breasts in his palms.

"Natsu!" Despite the heaviness in her limbs, Lucy managed to pull away so that she held him at arm's length. She struggled to catch her breath, dizzy from his touch.

Natsu blinked dazedly up at her. "Wha-?" It took him a few seconds to focus and regain his senses. When he seemed to register her troubled expression and realized what he had done, he moved his hands from her breasts down to her waist, but his dark eyes lingered on her chest.

Lucy's senses fluttered awake. In truth, the urges were almost impossible to deny, even though she herself didn't understand what she wanted. Natsu was only acting on his instincts. So to reassure him, she pressed her lips to his in a light kiss. "Do you know anything about...about coupling, Natsu?" She asked him softly.

His forehead crinkled. "You mean sex? Of course I do." He regarded her carefully. "Why? D'you wanna have sex now?"

"No." Somehow, his brusque attitude toward sex put her off. "It's just that... If we're not careful..."

He grinned brightly at her. "Well, I don't really mind having sex with you," he said, drawing her close again.

That stopped Lucy short. "You don't mind...?" She felt a leaden weight in her chest. "You mean for you, anyone would do?"

"Ha?" Natsu blinked, seemingly lost. "No, of course not—"

The niggling doubt returned to Lucy as instantly as she had banished it. She didn't want to question his intentions because he had always been direct with her, but she had a feeling she was being thrown for a loop here. "Why did you pick me for the contest, Natsu?"

It was obvious that he wasn't expecting the question from her; for a quick moment, his expression grew defensive. But his features cleared as he met her gaze. "Because we have a bond," he said simply, as though he didn't need to explain it. "We're nakama. Right?"

Her mouth went dry. Nakama? Was that all she still was to him after everything they had done? Lucy clenched her teeth, pushing his hands away and struggling to get off his lap.

"Lucy?" He eyed her warily.

"Get out." The sudden force of her anger was unexpected. Lucy trembled from it as she sought to contain it, not really wanting to alarm him. She moved to the other end of the couch, getting as far from him as possible.

Confusion was written all over his face. "Why?" He squeaked. "What about training?"

"Get out!" Her voice quivered as she pointed to the door, swallowing past the painful lump in her throat. She refused to meet his eyes, afraid that if she saw his hurt expression, she would begin to waver. But she had had enough. The sudden influx of her feelings, combined with her bewilderment over him, over this entire messed-up situation, was getting to be too much to bear.

Wordless, Natsu spared her a last furtive look and stood up, dragging himself out of her apartment. It wasn't until Lucy heard the door close that she gave in to her tears.

* * *

"Natsu, cheer up."

Natsu didn't budge. He remained where he was, his upper body slumped over the table, his forehead flat on its sticky surface. Beside him, Happy entreated unhappily. He knew he should say something reassuring at least—he was making Happy worry—but his throat closed in his misery.

He had come straight to the guild after Lucy threw him out, but he'd discovered that no amount of his favorite food could make him feel better. Still, he stayed at his table for hours after lunch, if only to wait for Lucy to drop by for dinner. She didn't show up. Of course, she wouldn't.

Lucy hated him.

Natsu groaned into the table, causing Happy to put his paws on his head. "Natsu…"

He wanted to hit something, set something on fire. He was itching for a fight. Lucy might hate him even more for it, but it wouldn't make any difference now. What ticked him off the most was that he had no idea why she hated him in the first place. Things had been going well. More than well, if Natsu was going to be honest. The things he did with Lucy this morning—they were glorious. He had never done anything that felt so good in his entire life. Even eating fire couldn't compare to it.

So where did he go wrong? Was it the sex thing? Thinking back, maybe he had gone a little overboard with suggesting sex to her. He'd told Lucy that he knew something about coupling, but the truth was that the only things he knew were those that Igneel had mentioned to him once in passing. And they weren't even about human sex—they were about dragon sex. Which was animalistic, feral, and quite revolting, actually. He had never asked Igneel about it ever again. He figured sex among humans would be different—he wouldn't need to bite the back of a woman's neck to do that, right?

Although biting Lucy's neck was… Natsu immediately put a stop to his thoughts. It wouldn't do him any good to think about his mouth being anywhere near Lucy's neck or her skin or her lips now. Her scent alone had remained stuck on his clothes all day, pissing him off even more, because every time he got a whiff of it, his groin tightened as though he was still holding her soft form in his arms. Who'd have thought that he would enjoy feeling her up so much that it hurt his groin? He'd tamped down his desire as best he could that it was all he could do not to rip her clothes off.

He banged his head on the table forcefully to get the thoughts of Lucy out of his mind, alarming Happy. It wasn't like he was bothering anyone anyway; it was late, Erza was gone, and only a handful of people lingered in the guild hall. But a few seconds later, a shadow loomed over him, and he didn't have to look up to see who it was. He could smell the stripping pervert's scent a mile away.

"What's wrong with you?" Gray snapped.

Natsu didn't answer. If he could rile up Gray by not talking, he'd be happy to do it all night.

"Lucy kicked him out of her house," Happy answered morosely.

"So?" Gray chuckled. "It's not the first time that happened."

Natsu begged to differ. True, he'd been kicked out of her house before, numerous times, but today was the first time he had seen her so angry at him that she visibly shook from it. He didn't understand why she'd gotten so mad. If he did, he would have done something to rectify the situation immediately. All he knew was that it was somehow his doing.

Gray took a seat across from him. "What did you do this time?"

"None of your damn business," he growled.

The ice mage shrugged. "Suit yourself. But you'd better just apologize to her."

Natsu sighed heavily. He raised his head, resting his chin on his arms. "Apologizing won't cut it this time."

Gray's eyebrows arched upward. "You got her that mad?"

"Did you say something stupid again, Natsu?" Happy asked.

Natsu considered that. Maybe he did say something… His breath caught, realization dawning on him. "Then it was about the sex, after all," he muttered to himself.

"Haa?" Gray gaped at him. "What about 'the sex'?"

Natsu straightened, feeling his blood drain from his face. He still didn't understand why Lucy got mad over it but— "We were training…_kissing_," he mumbled, avoiding Gray's eyes, "and it got really good but then she was worried that we would… And so I told her that I don't mind it at all."

"Don't mind what, exactly?" Gray asked.

"I don't mind having sex with her," Natsu hissed. "That's when she got mad."

Happy had covered his mouth with his paws but his eyes were as wide as saucers. Gray's expression was worse. He was scowling darkly at him. "You idiot," he sniped. "No wonder she was enraged."

"What?" Natsu demanded. "What did I do?"

"Are you really that stupid, Natsu?" Gray asked, shaking his head in disbelief. "For girls, sex is a very sacred thing. But you made it sound like you didn't really care who you'd do it with but that she'd suffice. Way to be delicate, flame-brain."

"No," Natsu said, horrified at how that had sounded. Panic surged in his chest. "No, no, no. I didn't mean it that way—"

"Then why did you say it like that?"

"I don't know—I wasn't thinking." He shoved his face into his hands. "It's just that we were…I was… I don't know why I said that. But, honestly, who could think straight in a situation like that?"

"Oho!" Suddenly, Gray burst out laughing. Natsu raised his head and glared at him.

"What the hell's so funny, asshole?"

"So you were getting hot and heavy, huh?" The ice mage chided, still chuckling. "I get it now. But you're still an idiot."

Natsu couldn't stand the fact that Gray was lording his understanding of women over him, but he didn't have much of a choice. So he kept from spouting out profanities at the stupid exhibitionist and waited for him to share his insight. It wasn't like he could stop him anyway.

"Did she throw you out after that?" His comrade asked.

"Not right away," he said, not sure where this was going. "She asked me why I picked her for the contest."

"And?" Happy probed, looking so anxious that it worried Natsu. "You told her what?"

"Well, it's obvious, isn't it?" Natsu replied. "We're nakama."

"You didn't." The ice mage groaned. Happy slouched on the table and regarded Natsu with a very annoyed look.

Natsu glanced from one to the other, a feeling of foreboding looming over him. "What? Was that bad?"

"Don't you like Lucy, Natsu?" Happy asked.

"Of course I do!" He answered quickly. "I like her a lot."

"Couldn't you have told her that instead?" Gray said. When Natsu darted him another confused look, he rolled his eyes heavenward. "Flame-breath, we're all nakama in the guild. Telling her you chose her because she's nakama is like telling her she's not special to you at all."

"But being nakama is special," Natsu pointed out.

"Yeah, but in a different way," Gray replied. "Is Lucy just a nakama to you?"

"Just a nakama?" He echoed. Somehow, the idea didn't sit with him very well. "No. She's Lucy. She's…" _More_.

Gray let out a frustrated sigh. "You're so stupid, Natsu," he grumbled, thwacking him on the head.

"Hey!"

"You say she's Lucy, and that she's not just a nakama, but what is she to you, exactly?" Gray questioned. "I think that's what she was asking."

Natsu frowned, growing only more bewildered. Why would Lucy even have to ask? Didn't she already know? He glared at his shirtless companion. "Well, what about you? Why did you choose Juvia?"

"That's different."

"How the hell is it different?"

"It just is, okay?" Gray grumbled. "Juvia and I... We don't have the kind of relationship that you and Lucy have. For us, it's uncomplicated. But you and Lucy... Well, what are you two to each other? What does kissing her mean to you? You see what I'm saying?"

Natsu kneaded the back of his neck. Kissing Lucy was...amazing. Mind-blowing, even. And it made him connect with her in a way that nobody else ever had. That pleased him to no end. But he didn't know what it meant.

"Let's look at it in another way. Do you think you can stand seeing Lucy with somebody else?" Gray prompted, glaring at him expectantly. "For instance, Loki. He likes Lucy, right? But what if she liked him back? Would you be able to stomach seeing them together, being close and intimate?"

Natsu scowled. Loki liked Lucy? When did that happen? But the thought of Loki being with Lucy, doing things with her, kissing her the way he had done today…it filled him with a certain kind of dread, something he'd never felt before. It clawed at his stomach, persistent and unsettling. He never realized Loki had feelings for his best friend in that way since the Celestial Spirit was sweet on every girl he laid his eyes on. Still, it bothered him immensely to even picture Lucy being with Loki…choosing Loki... The truth was, he could see it happening. He shook his head. "I don't think Loki's even allowed to be like that with his key master," he sputtered, his sudden irritation making him see red.

"You're right, I'm not."

Natsu, Gray, and Happy looked up in surprise. Loki was standing by their table, glaring down at Natsu past his colored glasses, his expression mutinous. Before any one of them could say anything, Loki swung his fist forward, aiming for Natsu's face. Reacting by reflex, the dragon slayer threw himself backward off the bench. If he hadn't dodged out of the way in time, he would have had his nose broken.

"What the hell!" Natsu clambered to his feet, almost spitting fire. He gaped at the Celestial Spirit in disbelief. "What's your problem?!"

Loki was seething. "What did you do?" He clenched his fists, ready to throw another punch. "What did you do to her?"

_Her?_ Natsu quickly perked at that. "Lucy? What happened?"

"You don't get to ask, asshole. Tell me what you did!"

"Oi. Calm down, Loki." Gray sidled up to him carefully, lest the spirit suddenly decide to attack him instead. "What's going on?"

Loki pointed a finger at Natsu, unable to take his dagger eyes off him. "This idiot did something to her. I'm sure of it," he spat angrily. "She's been crying for hours."

Natsu's entire body went cold. Lucy was crying? He stopped thinking then. He promptly turned around and ran towards the guild doors.

"Oi, bastard! Where're you—"

"Let him go, Loki."

Natsu ran as fast as his feet could take him. All of a sudden, he knew what he had to do now. He had hurt her. He didn't know how much, but he had somehow caused her some form of pain. So he would grovel at her feet and ask for her forgiveness. He would tell her she was special, because it was the truth. To him, she was unprecedented. She was everything that made his small world precious.

He was at her place in mere minutes. Her window was dark, but that didn't matter. As nimbly as he could, he sprung up from the street and took the window route since it was the fastest way to her room, to her bed.

Lucy was curled up under the covers, facing away from him, but he could tell she was asleep from the way she breathed evenly. Natsu felt his chest tighten. There was a trace of salt in the air, mixed in with her scent—the tell-tale smell of her tears. Heartsick, he lifted the covers and crept in bed next to her, basking in the warmth that her body radiated. He came here to comfort her but ended up seeking comfort for himself. Still, there was not much he could do at this point, so he settled on watching her instead.

There was an imperceptible hitch to her breathing that could only have come from crying too much. Natsu curled his hands into fists, aching to touch her but not daring to. If she woke and found him here, it would only cause her more distress, and he didn't think he could bear to see her cry because of his thoughtlessness. Frustrated, he kept to his side and contented himself with roaming his eyes over her. In the dark, he noticed her wearing a flimsy kind of sleepwear, lacy and skimpy, baring her skin to the elements. Perversely, he smiled to himself. No wonder she was always so cold at night. He shimmied closer and willed his magic to make his body grow warmer.

As Natsu laid there and watched over her, another truth dawned on him: he knew what Lucy was in his life. She was his as much as he was hers. He felt it in his core. It was primitive, and very, very simple that it stunned him how he hadn't seen it sooner. They belonged to each other. Overcome with sudden emotion, he murmured her name. And as though it was rooted in her as well, she migrated toward him in her sleep, her body fitting against his in a tender, perfect way. When he pulled her in, she whispered his name. He almost came undone.

Repressing his own desires, he held her for as long as he could, for as long as she needed him tonight. In the morning, before she woke, he would have to leave. She was still angry at him and he would strive to make it up to her the right way, in the proper order. For now, while he whispered to her his many promises, he would let her sleep and keep her peace.

* * *

**A/N**: Music helps me write. This chapter was shaped with the help of these songs: _Kissing You_ (Des'ree) for the make-out parts (this is my song of choice for them), _Gravity_ (Sara Bareilles) for the Lucy angst parts, and _I See the Light_ (Mandy Moore & Zachary Levi) for the realization parts.

I'm thinking of writing a Gajevy one-shot companion fic, but I only have a handful of ideas right now. It would be great to show their side of the story, lol.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **Everything concerning Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima. Nothing belongs to me, except the plot of this story.

**Author's Notes: **Here's an update, finally! This is probably the longest chapter in the story. It took longer than I thought to write and edit, and the way it turned out has really surprised me. Sometimes the characters have a way of doing things by themselves, you know? Thank god for the Werdsmith app, too. It helps me write for longer periods without being a bane to my carpal tunnel. If anyone of you has an iOS device, get Werdsmith. Seriously, it's a lifesaver.

To those people who left reviews in Chapter 5—you guys are awesome. **SheblytheKoala**, I know what you mean about the movie-in-your-head kind of thing—it's why I write with music playing in the background. It really helps push the story along and sets the mood, too. **Senbei x Cup Ramen**, all that fangirling is warranted, believe me. If I didn't have an outline to follow, I'd probably write all fluff and nothing else! As for Cana's tips, I had more in mind originally but I would have to make the fic M-rated if I made Natsu do all of those things because they entail semi-nudity and much more necking than normal. **Rustle-My-Jimmies**, the contest is probably the most difficult part to write! But I think you'll be surprised at the outcome.

Enough chit-chat! Here's Chapter 6.

**Lessons**

* * *

**Chapter 6 – In which nothing else matters**

* * *

Lucy woke up with a start. Her senses still muddled by sleep, the first thing she registered was the muted light that filtered through her curtains—it stung her eyes. She shifted around, turning away from the morning glare, comforted by the fact that Natsu was nearby to offer her some warmth despite their recent fight. But she found that the warmth was only from the blankets wrapped tightly around her. A dull ache gnawed at her chest, instant and unforgiving. She let her gaze linger on the vacant pillow next to her and inwardly wished she could just stay in bed today.

She sighed. That wouldn't do. She had already cried so much yesterday that she wondered if her outburst even made any real sense at all. In the dim daylight, much of her reasons seemed inadequate and shallow. She got angry at Natsu for what, exactly? Reacting to her the way a normal teenage boy would? It was ridiculous. She had known from the beginning what she was getting into when she agreed to be his partner in the contest. If she had thought she would be gaining a boyfriend out of him in the process, that was her own damn fault.

Like a hopeless fool, she had read too much into things.

Clearly, that was her problem. It was incredibly selfish to expect Natsu to feel the same way she did, especially when he only saw her as his friend, his nakama. He cared about her a lot, and that in itself should be enough.

So why did it make her feel so wretched?

Lucy sat up abruptly, letting the sudden head rush take her from the room for a moment. Wallowing wouldn't do her any good. She needed to take herself from this pitiful situation and move on. That was the only way to go. When her sight cleared, she made up her mind. She would find Natsu and apologize. Her feelings would be dealt with later.

It was easier said than done, of course. In the shower, she rehearsed what she would say to him, wording out her thoughts carefully. And though she knew he would be unreasonably forgiving, she needed to make sure she got her point across so that nothing of this nature would happen to them again.

But... Thinking about it made Lucy's heart hurt. She willed her feelings to dissolve with the hot water and disappear down the drain forever. Maybe without them, things between her and Natsu would go back to being simple and uncomplicated. But even in a world full of magic, she knew things weren't that easy. She'd learned that the hard way again and again.

After making sure that her eyes weren't all puffy and bloodshot, Lucy headed to the guild with full resolve. If she were to face Natsu today, she would have to be cheerful and convincing. She didn't want to worry Natsu with her personal crap any more than she already had. She needed to fix things between them somehow.

At ten in the morning, the guild was already in high spirits. Some mages were in their usual spots like Cana, Macao, and Wakaba, but most were running amok, energized by drink and the usual merriment. Lucy scanned the dining hall, certain she would soon spot a blur of pink hair and white scarf zooming around, but strangely, Natsu wasn't at the guild. Relief hit her first, swift and fleeting, because not seeing Natsu now meant that she would have more time to go over her apology, but then disappointment crept in soon after. Having spent so much time with him in the last few days, she had become so used to his presence that it wasn't that hard to miss him when he wasn't around. Dismayed, she waded her way to the bar. Much to her surprise, Levy was there, talking with Droy and Jet.

"Lu-chan!" Levy beamed at her as she approached. "Finally!"

"It feels like we haven't seen each other in weeks, Levy-chan," Lucy said, reaching out to squeeze her friend's hands. "What have you been up to?" She teased.

Levy's cheeks turned a vivid red. Beside her, Jet and Droy began grumbling under their breaths.

Lucy smiled at the script mage. Despite her embarrassment, Levy seemed very pleased. Wondering at this, Lucy took a seat on the bar stool next to her. "Come on. Tell me everything."

Levy's face colored even more. She cast a hasty glance toward her male friends, both of whom shuffled their feet, looking like they really didn't want to hear or know anything they might talk about. But neither of them left her side.

Lucy smirked, knowing how to go around Jet and Droy. She elbowed Levy conspiratorially. "So... How does Gajeel kiss? Is he really good?"

"Ah... I forgot I had something to do today..." Jet mumbled, his ears reddening. He hightailed out of the guild in a blur, as though he couldn't escape fast enough. Droy grabbed a turkey leg from the basket on the bar and followed Jet mournfully.

"Lu-chan..." Levy glanced after them, looking torn.

"They're strong, you know," Lucy replied, giving her a smile. "Don't feel guilty about the way you feel."

The blue-haired mage sighed. She turned around and leaned her elbows on the bar. "I know it hurts them but..." A blush crept up her cheeks. "I like Gajeel. A lot."

Lucy's eyebrows arched upward. It was the first time Levy had admitted her feelings for the iron dragon slayer. "And what about him?" She urged.

Levy shrugged. "We've been training... I guess everyone in the contest is... But he's really gentle when we're alone." She promptly covered her face with her hands. "Ahh, it's so embarrassing to talk about!"

Lucy giggled. She slung an arm around her friend's shoulders. "I can't believe Gajeel could be gentle—I mean, from the way he looks and acts—"

"I know! But he really is," Levy said, "and he always makes sure I'm comfortable with whatever we're doing—"

"_Whatever_ you're doing?" Lucy grinned at her friend, sincerely shocked.

"I-I mean—" Levy stuttered, avoiding her gaze. "We kiss a lot and... Well..."

Lucy blushed despite herself. She had done all sorts of things with Natsu as well, hadn't she? They were short of going to third base, true, but still... In her limited experience, that was a lot. But Levy? Sweet, innocent Levy? She leaned closer to the script mage. "Have you gone all the way then?" She whispered.

"What?! No!" Levy's face grew so red that Lucy could almost see steam rising from her head. "Lu-chan!"

"I'm sorry!" Lucy laughed, ruffling the mage's silky blue hair. "But don't trail off like that—it gives the wrong impression."

Levy puffed her cheeks. "I just meant...well..." She buried her face in her hands again. "I told him I liked him, Lu-chan." She had said it in such a rush that her words jumbled together, making Lucy wonder if she had heard right. She tried to pry Levy's hands away from her face.

"You did?" She asked, peering at her.

Levy nodded, looking so morose.

"What did Gajeel say?" If that iron idiot rejected this gentle-hearted girl, Lucy would make sure to have some choice words with him. Maybe even draw some blood.

"Nothing," Levy answered. "But then he kissed me like he hadn't done before and it was amazing."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Lucy smirked.

"Is it, though?" She fiddled with the hem of her dress. "Even if he didn't exactly respond to my confession?"

Lucy leaned over the bar pensively. She didn't know Gajeel all that well so her guess was as good as Levy's, but the iron dragon slayer seemed like a very honest guy, if anything. "Maybe he just has a hard time admitting his feelings, Levy-chan," she began softly. "I mean, Gajeel's always offhand and rough. But he's always been partial to you, right?"

Levy bit her lip, seeming unconvinced. She glanced up at her. "What about you and Natsu, Lu-chan? Do you even kiss at all?"

This time, Lucy was the one to blush heavily. She felt the rush of warmth flood her face like a dam had broken inside her and it sent all the blood to her head. "Of course, we kiss!" She murmured, flustered. "We've been training very hard, I'll have you know."

Levy giggled. "Is it weird? Since you're best friends and all."

Weird? It was the last word Lucy would use to describe how kissing Natsu felt, which was quite a revelation in itself. "Actually, it feels..._right_. And very, very nice."

It was Levy's turn to be surprised. "Lu-chan?" A slow smile formed on her face. "Does that mean...?"

Lucy met her friend's gaze. "I think so."

The script mage gasped, another blush coloring her cheeks. "That's great!" She grinned at her brightly. "Have you told Natsu yet?"

"Not exactly—"

"Why not?" Levy gushed. "You have to tell him soon. I mean, it would be perfect if you two finally got together."

"Perfect?" Lucy blinked.

Levy nodded. "Since the feelings are mutual between you two."

"Oh?" Lucy's smile faltered. "But I don't think he feels like that at all, Levy-chan."

"What are you talking about?" Levy shook her head at her, chuckling. "Natsu adores you! Everyone knows that."

Lucy would strongly beg to disagree, if the mere idea weren't making Levy so damn happy. She didn't have the heart to tell her friend that she was already sure of how Natsu felt about her. More importantly, she didn't want to see the pity in her friend's eyes. "Speaking of Natsu, have you seen him today?"

"Oh, you don't know? Wendy took him along with Gray, Juvia, Erza-san, and Laxus-san to Father Block's orphanage. Master is with them too. Apparently, Wendy's friends with the children there and they wanted to meet the mages who participated in the Games." Levy cast her a look of astonishment. "Wait. Natsu didn't tell you?"

Lucy winced. Why didn't Natsu invite her? Wasn't she in the Games with them too? She folded her arms on the bar top. "We're kind of in the middle of a fight," she admitted quietly.

"What?" Levy blinked, seemingly unable to believe this could happen. "Natsu's fighting with you?"

"It's more like I got angry at him over something...silly," Lucy said, embarrassed.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Levy asked carefully.

"Maybe," Lucy replied, giving Levy a small smile. "Right now I just want to find Natsu and apologize, though. Is that okay?"

"Of course." Levy smirked. "But I wouldn't worry too much, if I were you. I mean, it's you and Natsu—I don't think this fight will last long."

Lucy wanted so much to believe that. She wouldn't be able to forgive herself it if she had caused irreparable damage to their friendship. "I-I hope so..." She sighed. "But you know—"

"Hey squirt."

Lucy glanced up, startled. Gajeel had come up to Levy's side without them even noticing. The stoic man was glowering at the script mage, who had blushed the moment she heard the dragon slayer's gravelly voice.

"Thought we were gonna meet up at the basement?" He grumbled, his tone softening. He snuck a sideways look at Lucy. "Oi. Bunny-girl."

Lucy narrowed her eyes at him. "Why aren't you at the orphanage with the rest of the team?"

"We got training," he said, jerking his thumb at Levy's head. "What's your excuse?"

She shrugged. "I didn't know about it."

The iron dragon slayer's eyebrow studs drew together. "That pink-haired freak didn't tell you? That's a first." Then his dark expression cleared. "You're having a lover's tiff, aren't ya?"

"Shut up." Stupid dragon slayer ears.

"Gihihi."

"Come on, Gajeel." Mouthing an apology to Lucy, Levy turned around and moved to jump off her bar stool. Gajeel held a hand to her waist, and the unwitting action made the petite girl's cheeks pinken even more. She gave Lucy a tiny wave. "I'll see you later, Lu-chan."

Lucy nodded and waved back. Gajeel passed her a last glance, then trailed after Levy. Trusting his sensitive ears, Lucy muttered in his direction, "I'm on to you, stupid iron head."

As expected, Gajeel shot her a look over his shoulder, a little shocked. Then he threw his head back and laughed.

"He's been laughing more since he joined the contest."

Lucy turned as Pantherlily leapt up on the wooden countertop beside her. The black Exceed trained his eyes pensively on the retreating back of his dragon slayer partner. She smiled at him. "Levy-chan's a good influence on him."

Lily bobbed his head. "Then again, everyone in the contest has to be going through some form of change. Right?" He darted his dark eyes at her.

Lucy balked at his penetrating gaze. Pantherlily was much like Charle in a lot of ways—he was acutely observant and very intuitive, and Lucy doubted that anything could ever escape his notice. She tipped her shoulder in a half shrug. "I guess it would be hard not to change," she said.

"Change is always a good thing." Mirajane said from behind the bar, a content smile on her face. She put a plate of waffles with strawberries and cream on the counter in front of Lucy. "Here. Have some breakfast."

"T-Thanks." Moved by her thoughtfulness, Lucy wondered if Mira had somehow been lingering close by long enough to hear her conversation with Levy. It was very likely.

"I take it you and Natsu hadn't resolved your issues last night," Mira said, her tone sympathetic.

"I heard about that," Lily said, accepting the tuna turnover that Mira handed him.

"Last night?" Lucy frowned as she picked up her fork, glancing from Mira to Lily. "I haven't seen Natsu since yesterday afternoon."

"Oh?" Mira seemed earnestly confused. "But last night he took off in such a rush, we thought he had somehow gone to see you..."

"Perhaps he decided to go home instead?" Lily suggested.

"That's not like Natsu at all."

Lucy stared at them in utter bewilderment. "What happened last night?"

"Natsu and Loki had a little argument," Mira said, tilting her head in thought. "About you."

"The word is that they almost destroyed the guild from fighting. Is that true?" Lily asked. Mira giggled and shook her head.

"It wasn't that serious. But Loki stormed in here quite angry."

Loki? Lucy frowned. She hadn't summoned any of her Celestial Spirits last night, not even Plue for comfort, but Loki had always been able to open his gate under his own power. But why would he go to see Natsu by himself without telling her? And to fight the dragon slayer about her, no less? She bit her lip guiltily. She had made such a huge mess of things that she'd even managed to drag Loki into it, albeit unknowingly.

"So Natsu didn't come to you last night after all?" Mira asked.

Lucy shook her head. "He didn't."

"Hmm. He probably thought you needed some space," Mira replied with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, though. You two'll patch things up soon enough, Lucy."

Lucy struggled to return the kind woman's smile but faltered. She couldn't shake off the bad feeling that was creeping into her chest. "Did I make a mistake in joining this contest, Mira?" She asked glumly.

"And why do you think you've made a mistake?" Mira asked.

Lucy sighed, poking her fork into the dollop of cream on her plate. "Because I've messed things up somehow."

For a moment, Mirajane didn't answer. She regarded Lucy silently, her lips pursed and her forehead crinkled. Lucy braced herself, already half-expecting what the white-haired mage would say. It was all her fault. This had been her mantra all morning. And then—

"I think it was bound to happen sooner or later," Mira said simply, her amiable smile returning. "I mean, you and Natsu, coming to terms with what you mean to each other. So I don't think you've made a mistake at all."

"But..." Lucy swallowed past the lump in her throat. "What if everything changes between us?"

"Like I said, change is always a good thing," she advised. "You can't remain in the same place forever. You can only grow closer, or grow apart. It just depends on what you want."

Lucy knew what she wanted with absolute certainty. But it was worlds different from what she needed to do. In her own little way, she wished to protect Natsu, too. He didn't need to be bothered by notions that would only cause him grief and chaos. If she forced her complicated feelings on him, would she drive him away? The chance of that happening was very high and very unacceptable. She'd rather have him ignorant of how she felt than not have him in her life at all.

An errant tear spilled down her cheek, and she hurriedly wiped it away. She shouldn't be crying again, not in here of all places. Pantherlily cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable, but he handed her a clean napkin nonetheless. She smiled meekly at the Exceed.

"If he doesn't respond to your feelings, he's obviously an idiot," Lily muttered under his breath. "I've seen you survive the Games, Lucy. You're going to get past this." And with that, as breezily as he had come, he spread his wings and took off. Lucy gazed after him, fervently wishing he was right.

"You heard him, so cheer up already," Mira urged, ever the optimist. "Want some more fruit?"

"No, but thank you." Lucy faced her plate of waffles, her spirits a little improved by their words of encouragement.

"You know, Natsu and the others won't be back until later," Mira started. "Would you like to go on a mission?"

"A mission?" Lucy echoed, chewing on a strawberry. "By myself?"

Mira nodded, all of a sudden appearing excited. "I've never told you this, but there have been mission requests lately that specifically asked for you."

"Me?" Lucy gaped at the grinning barmaid. There were some things only she could do as a Celestial Spirit mage, but she was no Erza. Everyone knew that. So why would people request for her alone? "What kind of missions?"

"Let's see..." Mira bent over, reaching into a hidden compartment behind the bar. She retrieved what looked like leaves of parchment paper and placed them on the counter right by Lucy's plate. Lucy gazed at them, stunned. There were so many. Touched that a lot of people would ask for her personal help, she rifled through them eagerly.

_Oh_. Suddenly, she knew why they had asked for her. Most of them were requests for dubious things that involved bondage, skimpy underwear, and nudity; others were tame requests for some form of domestic service. Book Land wanted some magical help in their store, so Lucy tucked that request away in her good pile. She continued to shuffle through the pages, crumpling the odious ones and setting aside possible ones.

"Master said to give you the opportunity to choose which missions you'd like to do," Mira said, scooping up the crumpled ones. She unfurled a piece, read it, and clucked her tongue. "But the things some men think of..."

Lucy giggled. "Why they thought I would agree to these kinds of requests baffles me."

"At least they've got you smiling now," Mira replied, chuckling. She motioned to the discarded pile. "I'll throw these away. Oh, there's one request that you might like...it has something to do with posing for a painting. High reward too."

Instantly intrigued, Lucy thumbed through the sheaf of papers. Spotting the said request, she scanned it over, her pulse quickening. It was made by an artist called Etienne Grimaud—a vaguely familiar name—and he was offering 750,000 Jewels for her to sit for a portrait. Not a bad deal at all, considering the mission was just for one mage. She put the paper in her keepers pile.

Mirajane returned just as Lucy was tucking in the last of her breakfast. "Did you find it?" The barmaid inquired.

Lucy nodded, handing the Etienne Grimaud request to her. "I think I'll do this today, Mira."

* * *

The truth of the matter was, she was going to do it for the distraction.

With hours to kill until she could see Natsu, she badly needed something to do, and she wasn't going to sit around the guild alone with her thoughts. So when Mira approved the mission, Lucy went straight home to change. She didn't know what this Etienne Grimaud was like, so she assumed he was like most artists who were particular about their subject's appearance—she put on her best new slip dress, spent an hour on her makeup, and made sure her hair was perfect. When she was finally satisfied, she headed towards the southern part of town, where the artist lived.

Etienne Grimaud's house in the outskirts of town was a grand, sprawling estate, far exceeding Lucy's expectations. It was made of limestone walls and tall crystal windows, standing three floors high at the end of a cobblestone road in a sweeping cul-de-sac. A wide marble portico framed the ornate front door. When Lucy knocked and a silver-haired butler answered, she began to wonder if she had the right address at all. No artist could live this opulently solely from their craft. And he had a butler, for Mavis's sake.

"Can I help you, miss?" The elderly man intoned.

"Um, is there an Etienne Grimaud living here by any chance?" She asked hesitantly.

"Ah. You must be Miss Heartfilia," the butler said, swinging the door wide open. "Come in, please. The master is expecting you."

Surprised but intrigued, Lucy stepped into the foyer. The entryway was spacious and circular, illuminated by the sunlight that poured in through the glass-dome skylight set high above. On the floor directly below the oculus, there was an intricate design of a constellation of stars arranged within a gilded circle, all made from tile and colored glass. She stared at it in wonder. It was so finely detailed that she was able to make out all the familiar stellar systems. The butler cleared his throat then, drawing her attention. Murmuring an apology, she gingerly followed him.

The old man led her past an arch that opened to a long, airy hall. Lucy let her gaze roam freely, taking in the tall columns that stood sentry along the length of the hallway. Above them, the vaulted ceiling was adorned with ivory and gold. Whoever Etienne Grimaud was, he had very regal taste. The overall design of the estate reminded Lucy of her old home. She clutched her hands together, impressed and unsettled at the same time.

They stopped at a set of green double doors at the end of the hall. Poised stiffly, the butler knocked once and announced her arrival. The grumbled reply came from within soon after, and the elderly man opened the door, motioning for Lucy to proceed. Hesitant, she walked inside.

The room was so immense that for a quick moment, Lucy thought she was standing in a grand ballroom. And then she realized that she was indeed in one, only instead of it being bare when unused, the shiny marble floor was littered with rolls of canvas, tins of paint, and sheets of heavy fabric. Some canvases were mounted on wooden frames of different sizes and set against the walls, facing away from her. The air was tinged with the scent of oil paint and acrylic, wood, and lacquer. She looked around curiously, her eyes spanning the room and its array of contents until, unwittingly, she found him.

He was seated on a tall stool by the central patio doors, hunched over a mounted canvas set upon an easel, working on a painting she couldn't see. Not meaning to disturb him, she headed towards him and stopped a few yards away, but the sound of her footfalls somehow caught his attention and he looked up.

"Yes?" He said, his forehead furrowing. "What is it?"

Lucy gaped at him for a minute. He was younger than she had expected, probably in his mid-twenties, and he had a head of unruly black curls that could only mean trouble. His nose was straight, his lips full, and his chin had a tiny dent in the middle. His eyes, though... They were his best feature, the irises a shade of cornflower blue so intense that they looked like glass orbs. Lucy swallowed hard. "Um, I'm here for the mission request?" Why her tone lilted in a question at the end confounded her—it made her sound dumb.

The man straightened. "You're Lucy," he murmured, dropping his paintbrush on the tray next to him. He padded over to where she stood, the soles of his bare feet slapping on the marble stone floor. He was a head taller than her that Lucy had to look up at him when he neared. "Hello. I'm Etienne. Did you have trouble finding this place?"

"Not at all," she said, unable to take her eyes off him. "You have a wonderful home, Etienne-san."

"Please, call me Etienne. I hate honorifics." He titled his head, studying her, his gaze boldly going over her face, her figure. "Wow. You are stunning in person. I've only seen you in Lacrima-Vision, and it didn't do you justice at all."

"T-Thank you…" Lucy quickly averted her gaze, her face flaming.

"Well, then." Etienne rubbed his hands together. "Let's get on it, shall we? I don't want to lose the light."

"Of course..." She shifted on her feet, looking around the makeshift studio. "But where should I...?"

Etienne grasped on her elbow and guided her to one side of the ballroom, where a folding screen stood by the east wall. "I need you to change first, Lucy. There's a dress for you behind the screen."

Change? Lucy glanced down at herself. "My dress isn't suitable?"

He appeared confused for a moment and then he laughed. "Don't get me wrong. You look very beautiful in that dress. But I have this vision of you in my head and..." He shrugged, as though that explained everything.

"Okay." Respecting his creative choices, Lucy nodded and headed behind the screen. The presence of it in the room alone made her wonder if having his subjects change their clothes for the session was his usual procedure. It wasn't odd in itself, but something tugged at the edges of her consciousness, making her more alert and wary. She found the dress in question draped over the back of a cushioned chair by the screen. Picking it up, she held it over herself and frowned. It wasn't so much a dress as it was lingerie. She would know because she liked wearing things like it to bed. This particular one was made of black lace and satin, with a keyhole in the middle of the bodice. Her mouth went dry. Etienne wanted to paint her wearing this? It seemed a little too risqué.

Her suspicion was confirmed when she changed into the flimsy thing and looked at herself in the full-length mirror beside the chair. The high lace bodice was so snug that she was almost spilling out over the deep décolletage that ended an inch south of her breastbone. The small keyhole below the bust offered a teasing glimpse of her abdomen. The loose skirt flowed from the empire waist and stopped just short of the top of her thighs, the garment so gauzy that she could see her black lace thong underneath. She ignored the warning bells that went off in her head. Mirajane had done tons of gravure photoshoots before with even less coverage, and the pictures all came out pretty classy in the end. But posing in a photoshoot was far different from sitting for a portrait; often the photographer had a support crew working with him and the model. Sitting for a portrait was more intimate because it involved only her and the artist. And she would be spending an inordinate amount of time being closely examined by Etienne and _those eyes_.

"Is everything alright?" Etienne called out to her. "Did the dress fit?"

Did it fit? Lucy gawked at herself in the mirror. It fit perfectly and enhanced all her assets, and that was what she was worried about.

Etienne appeared at the edge of the screen, startling her. His blue eyes widened when he saw her. "Wow. You look—_wow_." His gaze slowly wandered from her shoulders to her breasts, then down to her underwear. The look was so private that it almost seemed like he was touching her. Lucy squirmed under his gaze, folding her arms around her stomach. It felt all sorts of wrong.

Because if there was one person she would want to look at her in this snippet of fabric, it would be Natsu. Which was hilarious, considering Natsu was immune to anything related to intimacy and desire. He'd probably eye her strangely and ask her why she was being creepy instead.

That was the reality of things. Her reality, now. Natsu wasn't like other guys who would pay her compliments and whisper sweet things in her ear. He wouldn't open doors for her or give her flowers or write her poems. She rather doubted that he had even an ounce of romance in his body. He just wasn't built that way. But none of it really mattered in the grand scheme of things.

Natsu was always honest to a fault, which meant that he was ready to call her on her bullshit and accept his own shortcomings, no matter how debilitating they were.

He was proud, but not to the extent that it hindered his mercy. This made him very forgiving.

He was naive, which led him to see all the goodness in the world. For him, there was always a silver lining even in the darkest of moments.

He was fiercely loyal and fiercely protective. He would rather die than hurt or betray anyone he cared about.

So, really, who needed flowers and poetry? All his unconventional traits made Natsu the ideal nakama, best friend, and mate.

_But what of love? _

It was the only question for which Lucy had no answer. She knew Natsu was capable of love—he showed it to her and his friends in his own way every single day. But was he capable of feeling an even more intense emotional attachment toward just one person? What if dragon slayers didn't fall in love? The mere thought of it shook her to the core.

"Lucy?"

She glanced up at Etienne. She'd been so consumed by her thoughts that she had failed to hear him speak up. "I'm sorry?"

He smiled. "Are you nervous?"

She tipped a shoulder. "A little." Nervous didn't even cover what she felt in that instant.

"Well, don't be. I'm good at what I do," he said, holding his hand out to her. "Shall we start?"

For a quick moment, Lucy hesitated. She didn't trust Etienne at all—he was too good-looking and too self-assured for his own good—but she could tell that he was a professional in his line of work, and that he wouldn't try anything on her that could jeopardize his name and reputation. So she nodded and placed her hand in his. This was her sole mission after all. She was going to see it through right to the end.

* * *

Natsu felt restless. The air was strange today, as though an unseen threat was looming over his head and was ready to strike him at any given moment. He cast a sideways glance at Gray, who walked with Juvia a couple of steps behind him. They appeared pretty calm, though—could they not sense the building energy at all? He frowned, his gut stirring unpleasantly. Maybe he was just hungry.

Or maybe his dragon slayer senses were trying to tell him something.

He stopped walking long enough to fall in step with Wendy, who was beside Erza at the tail of the group. The Requip mage spotted his constipated expression, arching her eyebrows at him.

"Something wrong, Natsu?"

He ignored the redhead's question and turned his attention to Wendy. "Hey. Do you feel something weird right now?"

Wendy blinked up at him, confused. "Something weird, Natsu-san?"

"That's quite a rude question," Charle said snootily.

"He's been like this all morning," Happy murmured to the female Exceed.

"You mean you don't feel it? In the air?" Natsu asked.

"No..." Wendy squared her shoulders a little, lifting her head to sniff the air. "I don't sense anything..."

"What's up, Natsu?" Happy asked, circling above his head.

Natsu shrugged. "I don't know. The air feels weird. It's making my stomach hurt."

"Are you sick?" Erza asked, stepping away from him. "Did you catch something from Lucy?"

Natsu almost spit out that Lucy wasn't really sick but he bit his tongue. It was the first excuse he had thought of giving the team to explain why Lucy wasn't with him when they had set out for the orphanage this morning. Before today, he had ever lied to any of his friends.

He'd wanted Lucy to go with them to Father Block's. Of course he had. The kids had even expected her to come—they wanted to see her Celestial Spirit magic. But because things last night had been left unresolved, he wasn't sure how Lucy would receive his invitation if he'd asked. Maybe he should've let Erza ask her instead like the mage had offered. In hindsight, leaving Lucy behind was a pretty rotten idea. If she swung by the guild today and found out they had gone somewhere without her, how would she take it? Natsu cursed under his breath. He was such an idiot sometimes.

"Maybe I'm just hungry," he said almost to himself, rubbing his abdomen absently.

"Even after all that fire the kids fed you?" Gray asked in disgust. Wendy giggled behind her hand.

"That's fire meal, stupid head. It doesn't fill my stomach like food does."

"Well, I wouldn't know that, obviously. I don't have to eat ice to replenish my magic, after all."

"Maybe that explains why you're so lousy at it."

"What did you say?!" Gray's eyes flashed. Behind him, Erza cleared her throat rather loudly. The ice mage paled. "...My friend?"

Erza wasn't amused. "You two had better bring your game tomorrow. Save all this raw energy for the contest."

"Yeah. You're going down, ice-shit maker," Natsu goaded.

"_I'm_ going down?" Gray laughed snidely. "Tell me, what did you do to Lucy again yesterday?"

"Oi—"

"What did you do to Lucy?" Erza echoed, her eyes narrowing at Natsu.

"Bastard," Natsu grumbled, moving away from Erza's general direction.

"Natsu?"

"Nothing! I didn't do squat, okay?" Gritting his teeth, he rushed ahead of them towards Master Makarov in the lead, throwing Gray a nasty glare as he passed him. He already felt bad enough. It had almost torn him apart to leave Lucy in bed very early this morning, but he had to do it. He needed her to forgive him.

The acid in his gut churned, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. Above him, Happy said nothing, but he could feel the cat's discomfort all the same. Natsu took in a deep breath just to ease the tightness in his chest. It didn't help at all.

His loud sighs drew Master's attention; the old man eyed him curiously. "Are you alright?"

"No." Natsu could never lie to the old man.

"Hmm." Makarov smiled. "Is it Lucy, then?"

"What?" Natsu gaped at him. The old man feigned innocence. "How did you know?"

Makarov chuckled. "I may be old, but I'm not stupid," he said, his fingers smoothing over his moustache. "Remember when we went sakura viewing and Lucy had a cold and couldn't go? You couldn't enjoy yourself all day, knowing she was miserable."

"Aye. I remember that," Happy said. "Natsu just sat on the picnic mat and brooded all day."

Natsu pursed his lips, embarrassed that they'd noticed that. It seemed a lifetime ago.

"And so you dug up the biggest cherry tree in the park and sent it down the river to her," Makarov went on, eyeing him carefully.

"I wish I could have seen her reaction," Natsu nodded, grinning. The old man cleared his throat, and all of a sudden, Natsu realized his mistake. He and Happy never did own up to uprooting the cherry tree back then. "Oh shit. No, I meant—"

Makarov burst out laughing. "It wasn't that hard to figure out, Natsu. Lucy's the only mage in the guild who lives along Strawberry Street where the river runs, and she was the only one who didn't go to the hanami." He grinned up at him. "That was a very nice thing to do for her, by the way. I never did tell you."

Natsu shrugged, feeling sheepish. "I just wanted her to see the rainbow cherry blossoms. She'd been looking forward to it."

"I know," the old man conceded. "It's love, isn't it?"

Natsu arched his eyebrows. "Love?"

"Mm-hmm." Makarov smirked. "Did Igneel not teach you about that?"

"Well, yeah, he did..." Natsu knitted his brows together. He'd heard his dragon father mention 'love' to him before, but he had paid him no mind because verbal lessons tended to bore him. Besides, Igneel told him that love wasn't like friendship and family, that it was very rare and the world didn't have enough of it. If it was that rare, then it must be pretty wonderful. "He said that not everyone has it," Natsu murmured thoughtfully.

"I wouldn't say that's entirely accurate," Makarov qualified. "People have it in varying degrees, and they have different kinds of it—"

"So it's like magic then?" Natsu asked.

"Yes, it's like a very strong brand of magic," the old man answered. "Only not everybody can harness it well—only the gifted ones can. And it's what ties people together. Family, friends, trusted nakama—they all love each other in different ways. But maybe Igneel was talking about the kind of love only the lucky ones have."

"The lucky ones?" Natsu asked.

Makarov nodded. "They're lucky because they've found that one person for whom they feel that singular kind of love—which is more potent than their love for friends or family."

"And..." Natsu cast Makarov a quick and eager glance. "You think I love Lucy like that?"

Makarov tilted his head. "Don't you?"

"I—" Natsu scratched his forehead. "If you say it's like magic then I can't tell because I can't see it—"

"Can't you sense it? Not all forms of magic are visible."

That was true. Some of Gildarts's magic was invisible, though Natsu's sharp senses could pick up auras of it quite easily. If he couldn't hone in on love, then it must be a very powerful type of magic, more so than any mage could ever sense or possess. "So how do I know—?"

"When you think of Lucy, how does she make you _feel_?" Makarov asked. "Because that's how you know."

"Oh, that's easy," Natsu smiled. "She drives me nuts."

"Nuts?"

"Hell, yeah. Totally cuckoo," he said, looking up in thought at the clear afternoon sky. "Like if I think about how something can get her excited, I feel really happy. Even happier when I can make her that excited. When she gets mad at me over something, it's so infuriating and I want to fight back but then she'd glare at me and her lips would tremble and I'd know then that she's about to cry, so I stop fighting because I don't like seeing her cry. That's like the worst thing in the world." He paused, his eyes trailing after a wisp of cloud that looked like a sea shell. "And when she's sad... It's awful. You'd have to look really hard because she hides it very well, but then you'd see it in her eyes, and when they're all dark, I want to make everything better for her. Because I always want to see her smiling. She has this creepy smile that makes my skin feel tight and funny, but when she does smile, her face goes bright and that always makes me feel like I can do anything."

Makarov only gaped at him, unable to say anything.

Natsu met his master's eyes and saw the odd expression on his face. "What?"

Makarov coughed, his eyes looking a little misty. "That's the most profound confession I've ever heard, Natsu."

"Aye," Happy said from above them. "Too bad Lucy's not here to hear it."

"Is that love then?" Natsu asked expectantly, holding his breath. Before now, he had never thought to put a name to the way he felt about Lucy. It was difficult for him to identify one emotion to the next—he just knew that he felt them. And the way Lucy made him feel was so complex and so much bigger than him that it almost seemed like one gigantic muddle of elements that were pulsing and pushing against each other inside of him.

"If that isn't love, then I don't know what is," Makarov said, chuckling. "Congratulations, Natsu. You're one of the lucky ones."

Natsu beamed. So he loved Lucy. "Did you hear that, Happy?" He crowed, glancing up at his flying cat. "I love Lucy!"

"Aye, sir!"

His heart swelled. It made a lot of sense now—how he would always want her near and safe, how he would get so desperately insane when anything or anyone threatened her—but who'd have thought that his feelings of being bound to her had been love all along? It was like the knowledge had blown to bits every nuance of doubt in his mind, and it freed him. He suddenly felt very, very powerful and so much more invincible. Turning around and walking backwards, he spotted Gray and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Hey snowflake! Guess what?!"

Gray flipped him the bird. "I don't give a flying—"

"I love Lucy!" Natsu yelled to him as loud as he could. Gray's jaw dropped, and Juvia let out a surprised squeal. Behind them, Wendy yelped. Erza chuckled and shook his head. "Did you hear that, ice crapper? I love Lu—"

"I heard you the first time," Gray snapped. "Good of you to finally catch up, dumbass!"

Master Makarov laughed.

Natsu's eyes bugged. "Wait, what? You mean you already know?"

"Everybody already knows!" Gray said. "Except you, obviously, because you're an idiot."

"Wha—" Instead of taking offense, Natsu chortled sheepishly. If everyone had seen it plainly except for him, then he really was a first-class moron. But it also meant he still had a lot of things to learn in this world. The lessons were never ending.

And he hoped he'd get to learn all of them with Lucy.

"What about Lucy, Natsu?" Happy asked, landing on his head.

"What about her?"

"Does she love you too?"

"Of course—" Natsu stopped. He'd been about to say with utter confidence that, of course, she did love him too—why wouldn't she? But the truth was that he didn't really know the answer to that, did he? Doesn't love go both ways? "Jiji!" He quickly caught up to Master, not liking the sudden tightness in his chest. "Does Lucy love me?"

This time, Makarov was solemn when he turned to him. "I can't speak for other people about how they feel, Natsu," he said. "But you know Lucy best, so you'd have to ask her."

"Crap." Fear gripped his insides, mixing with the constriction in his chest and the hollowness in his gut. Realizing he loved Lucy was one thing—it was liberating and, frankly, he thought of it as one of the finest achievements in his life—but asking her if she loved him was a different and terrifying thing altogether. He didn't know why it scared him so much, but the mere thought of hearing what her answer might be made his stomach somersault.

If she loved him—that would be the greatest thing in the entire universe.

If she didn't... Natsu's mouth went dry. What if she didn't love him? Suddenly he didn't want to know anymore.

But he needed to know. Otherwise, all his grand realizations today would have been for nothing.

As the turrets of the guild building appeared in the horizon, Natsu's heart started to race. As soon as he saw Lucy, he would ask her. And no matter what her feelings toward him might be, he would accept them unconditionally. For him, there was just no going back from this.

Soon enough they reached the guild, and it was pretty much in the same state they'd left it. The mages greeted the master with welcome cheers. Natsu's gaze immediately roamed the huge hall, his heart dropping. Lucy wasn't here. He let himself be led by his feet to the bar, where Mirajane smiled and placed a pint of firewhiskey and a bowl of spicy beef in front of him.

"Welcome home, Natsu," the barmaid greeted.

"Thanks, Mira." Despite himself, he scanned the room one more time.

"Natsu-nii!" Romeo walked up, settling on the bar stool next to him. "How was the visit with the kids?"

"It was great," he replied, turning to the younger mage distractedly. "They were all very excited to see Fairy Tail mages. You should come with us next time. Show them your colored flames."

"I think I will."

"Natsu," Happy jumped onto the bar top. "Lucy's not here."

"Ah, but that's because Lucy-nee's on a mission today," Romeo said matter-of-factly.

Natsu straightened in his seat. "What?"

"She went out on a mission this morning," Romeo replied, a little surprised by Natsu's sharp tone. "Right, Mira-nee?"

"By herself?!" Natsu directed his gaze at Mira.

"It's just one of those personal requests, Natsu," Mira said mildly. "Perfectly safe."

"What!" Alarmed, Natsu sprang off his stool. Remembering what Cana and Macao had said yesterday about those personal odd jobs, he honed in on Mirajane. "What kind of mission did she go to?"

"Calm down." The white-haired mage held up a hand to him and turned, retrieving the mission log book from the counter behind her. She pulled out a sheet of paper from the book and handed it to him. "It's just for a painting. See?"

Natsu eyed the request warily. Who the hell writes in this kind of loopy handwriting? "Who's Etienne Grimaud?"

Mira shrugged. "I don't really—"

"Did you say Grimaud?"

They all turned. Reedus was fetching a drink of water at the bar, his thin eyebrows arched upward. "You know Grimaud?" Natsu asked him, unable to take the nervous edge off his voice.

"Who doesn't?" Reedus nodded. "He's only the most talented painter in Earthland right now. He's quite gifted."

"Well, that's great, isn't it?" Romeo said, casting Natsu a relieved glance. "Now he's painting Lucy-nee—that's gotta be an honor, right?"

Natsu's hands clenched around the request ad, crumpling it in the process.

"He's painting Lucy, you say?" Reedus gaped, extremely surprised. "Did she know Grimaud's a figure artist then?"

"Figure artist?" Natsu echoed. "What does that mean?"

"It means he paints nudes."

"Oh shit." This was not happening. An image of Lucy taking her clothes off in front of another man flashed before him, causing rage to explode in his head, making him see nothing but red. His hands shook as he unfurled the mission request and read it again. _Where did that stupid artist live?!_

South of town.

"Let's go, Happy!"

"Aye, sir!"

Mira, Romeo, and Reedus stared after Natsu as he and his Exceed scrambled from the guild hall. They couldn't quite believe what they were seeing: the dragon slayer's head was smoking.

* * *

It would be a lie to say that sitting for a portrait was the easiest mission Lucy had ever done. She'd sat for portraits before when she was younger, but that was nowhere near as trying and nerve-wracking as posing for Etienne. As a master of his craft, he was in charge of everything; he'd dragged a heavy chaise longue closer to where his easel was so he could work with the natural light that poured in from the patio doors. He'd settled Lucy on the chaise in a lateral, half-reclined position with her legs bent together, a pose she had only seen in old paintings. He'd tweaked even the most minor details, like how her hair fell on her shoulders, how her hand rested on her hip, or how one of her knees was more tucked in than the other. She felt a little like a professional. But that was before he started working.

It was exhilarating at first. Etienne's eyes seemed to devour her, his gaze roaming all over her freely, greedily. The intensity with which he observed her made her spine tingle and her hair stand on end. After what seemed like long minutes of him just taking her in, he picked up a charcoal stick and began drawing on the canvas. Lucy couldn't see what he was doing, but she could almost picture the bold sweeping strokes and the intricate lines he made on the blank surface. He worked fluidly, his gestures firm and deliberate. Watching him while she sat made Lucy somewhat glad to be in a mission that wasn't so physically demanding for a change—she didn't have to worry about Natsu's life being in peril this time.

But the hours wore on. Her shoulders and back began to ache. She'd held her position for so long that one of her legs had fallen asleep, and pins and needles were starting to stab the sole of her foot. By the fourth hour, her left shoulder had gone numb. When Etienne announced that he needed a break, she let out the loudest sigh in the world and all but collapsed back against the chaise pillows, making Etienne laugh.

"You should've told me you were getting tired," he chuckled, rolling his shoulders.

"I didn't want to interrupt. You seemed really in your zone," Lucy said.

"My apologies. I do get a little too preoccupied when I'm working. Want some refreshments?"

"No, thank you. Let me just..." She stretched her limbs as far as her body would allow, then, going limp, she laid there on her back, her gaze lingering on the ceiling. She'd never noticed it before when she came in, but the ballroom ceiling was covered with a fresco that depicted scenes of what seemed like a fairy tale involving a scarlet dragon, a princess, and hordes of knights in armor. Contrary to most fairy tales, however, in this painting, the knights were pursuing the dragon, and the princess was standing in their way, wielding a sword and protecting the dragon. Lucy smiled to herself, picturing how ecstatic Natsu would be to see this mural. It almost made her think that she was the princess and Natsu was the dragon: two very different beings that were bound to one another. A very tragic story.

Her view of the ceiling was hampered when Etienne leaned over her, smirking. "What are you so amused about?"

Her smile widened, her cheeks growing warm. She pointed to the fresco. "That painting. It goes against most fairy tales, doesn't it?"

Etienne looked up. "I'd forgotten that was there," he said absently. "My mother had this idea that princesses don't need to be saved—they needed to be understood. Notice that there's no prince anywhere in the painting."

"And the dragon?"

"That would be her pet."

Lucy laughed. "I like how your mother thinks," she remarked. "Is this her house then?"

"Was." Etienne turned his gaze back to her, his eyes somber. "She's dead now."

"Oh." Lucy raised herself up against the pillows, feeling like a complete jerk. She shouldn't be asking all these personal questions in the first place. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he said, sitting down on the chaise beside her. He was so close that she could see the gold flecks in his blue eyes. "She died a few years ago."

Lucy bit her lip, guilt-sick. She tried to think of proper things to say but came up with nothing. Loss had always been a topic she felt uneasy with—it hit too close to home.

Etienne didn't seem to mind, though. He continued to gaze at her as though he was still studying her features, though he was nowhere near his canvas. Maybe it was a habit borne from being an artist—he tended to look at people more closely than they were comfortable with.

"You are so beautiful," he said breathlessly, leaning forward. Lucy pulled back instinctively, surprised by his candor. Etienne smiled, unashamed. "Am I making you uncomfortable?"

"A little." She smiled, if only to mask her discomfort. "I'm not used to being stared at like this."

"What?" He seemed honestly surprised. "No boyfriend to look at you this intently then?"

For a quick, crazy second, Lucy wanted to lie. If she told him she had someone, perhaps he would back off and refrain from making his shameless advances. But she hesitated too long, and Etienne grinned at her silence, making her blush even more.

"There's something I want to change in the painting," he said, reaching out to tuck her hair behind her ear. "Is that okay?"

Lucy shifted in the seat, trying to move further away. Was he always this forward with all of his models? She was going to have none of it. "That's up to you, isn't it? It's your painting."

"Yes, but to change it, I'll need your help," he said.

"Okay..." Lucy managed, not quite following his meaning. She watched as he brought his hand to her shoulder and, with his fingers, dragged the strap of her dress down to the side. "W-Wait. I don't—"

"I just need the strap here," Etienne said, retrieving his hand and leaving the strap hanging off her shoulder. Lucy let out a breath. Too soon, it seemed, because without another word, Etienne put his other hand on her hip, slipping his fingers under the hem of her dress. She yelped and caught his wrist just as he slid her dress up to her waist, exposing her panties. "No, that's enough—"

It happened in an instant. There was a loud rattling somewhere in the room, then the deafening blast of breaking glass. Shards of it seemed to explode everywhere. Etienne ducked instinctively, pushing Lucy down on the chaise with him. Stunned, Lucy tried to sit up, adrenaline kicking in. Her keys. She needed her damned keys. But Etienne was holding her down to shield her, so she struggled against him and tried to glance past his head to see where the commotion had come from, but before she could completely shove him off, he was yanked away from her by something she couldn't immediately see. The brutal force of it had him sailing through the air, and he crashed against the wall by the splintered patio doors, crumbling down to the floor in a heap. Lucy sat up quickly, ready to defend herself with her teeth and nails if she had to, but that was when she glimpsed a familiar back and an even more familiar head of hair. Pink hair, to be exact.

"Natsu?!"

The dragon slayer didn't move, didn't even nod his head to acknowledge her. Instead, he stood stiffly, his body angled so that he was between her and Etienne. Lucy knew this stance very well. He was poised to attack. Slowly, so as not to startle him into action, Lucy reached out and took his hand.

"Natsu, calm down." She pried his fist open, smoothing his hand flat between both of hers. His skin was so hot that Lucy was sure he would summon his flames at any second. "Calm down, would you? What are you doing here?"

Natsu turned to look at her over his shoulder, not changing his stance. His face was contorted into an immense frown, his dark eyes flashing dangerously. Lucy flinched at the sight of his rage. "You okay?" He asked her, his voice quiet, controlled.

"Of course I'm okay, you idiot," she said, pulling on his hand, hoping to jar him back to his senses. "What did you think was going on?"

He didn't answer, turning his head to look back at Etienne. The artist had rolled over and was coughing his lungs out. "But, that asshole—" He stopped and shook his head, as though he had just realized what he had done, and with a low growl in his throat, he whirled around, bending down and slinging Lucy over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She yowled as she found herself draped upside down across his back.

"Natsu! Put me down!" She started beating on his backside.

Natsu grunted as he rushed toward the broken doors. "Stop that, idiot! It hurts."

"Then put me down!"

"Ahhh, Natsu!" Happy yelled out from somewhere in the air. "Lucy's ass is hanging out!"

"Oh shit! Happy, get her clothes!"

"Where?"

"I don't know where! Just get them!"

"Aye, sir!"

Natsu sprinted faster, jostling Lucy in the process, and she felt his hand grasp her bare buttocks in an attempt to cover them. She started screeching bloody murder.

"Put me down, Natsu, or so help me—"

He smacked her butt cheek once. "Shut up for a sec, okay? I'll put you down once we're clear of the mansion."

Lucy pursed her lips, her face burning. Stripped of her dignity with her ass in the air and his hand groping her, she silently cursed all male dragon slayers and all lacy thongs to hell and back.

True to his word, once they were well into the town proper, Natsu gently let her down on her feet at the shade of a huge tree. Righting herself against the tree trunk to regain her composure, she pulled down at the hem of her gauzy dress and avoided Natsu's eyes. Then she realized he'd taken her to the park on the hills where all the cherry trees grew. Since moving to Magnolia, she'd never been to this side of the park before.

"Are you okay?" He entreated softly, leaning against the tree to catch his breath.

Her cheeks flaming, Lucy met his gaze. He was regarding her worriedly. The thought of his hand on her seemed to have branded her, making her face redden even more. "Why did you barge in there like that, Natsu? I wasn't in any danger, you know."

He gaped at her. "Not in danger? That asshole was gonna take your clothes off!"

"And I was about to show him how I felt about that," she snapped.

He frowned, looking annoyed. "Should I've not done that then?" He growled. "I mean, did I interrupt something between you two?"

"No!" She was so appalled at the mere suggestion that she gave his shoulder a hard shove. "Jeez, Natsu. I just meant that I could've taken care of it on my own. I don't need you to swoop in every damn time to rescue me."

"I know that, Lucy." His intense gaze bore into hers. He stepped closer to her. "Trust me, I know you can take care of yourself. But I couldn't just stand there and watch him feel you up like that—I didn't like it."

Lucy chewed on her lip, somewhat mollified. He'd been so furious back there that she wondered what could've possibly incited it. Hope, unlike any other, bloomed in her chest. "What were you doing there in the first place, anyway?" She asked.

"Ah. Well." He suddenly looked embarrassed. Rubbing the back of his neck, he shrugged. "I heard from Cana and Macao yesterday about the personal mission requests that have been coming in for you and the other girls. You know, asking you to do weird naked missions and stuff. So when Mira said that you took one of those jobs today, I got worried."

_Oh. Of course_. His nakama instinct had kicked in. Lucy tried to manage a smile. "I see."

"Anyway, did you know that that Grimaud guy only paints nudes?" He scowled at her.

Lucy winced. "I think I figured it out when he made me wear this," she murmured, looking down at herself and tugging on the dress.

Natsu's eyes raked over her, making her stomach flip. His frown deepened, and he swallowed. "Y-You mean that's not your underwear?" He asked, kneading the back of his neck again. "So... Did you take your clothes off in front of him after all?"

"I changed behind a screen," she huffed. "Do you really think I would go around taking my clothes off in front of strange men?"

He grimaced. "I sure hope not."

He'd said it with such pure enmity and distaste that Lucy couldn't help but feel reassured by it. Sighing, she pushed herself off the tree and leaned against him, settling her head in the crook of his shoulder. She felt him stiffen. "Thank you, Natsu," she murmured, lacing her arms around his waist. She knew embracing him like this was an unprecedented action on her part, but she just wanted to feel his solid warmth against her for even a quick moment.

"For what?" He asked, his voice rumbling in his chest.

"For caring enough to come and get me. Even though I didn't need help."

"You idiot." Huffing, he enfolded her in his arms. "Of course I care. It's because—"

"Because we're nakama. I know." She smiled against his shoulder, willing him to absorb the sudden pang she felt at the innocent word. Who knew such a treasured word could hurt her so much?

He breathed into her hair, his arms tightening around her. "Lucy," he said, "about yesterday..."

She sighed again. "I'm sorry about yesterday, too, Natsu."

"_You're_ sorry? For what?" He pulled away to look down at her.

"For getting mad at you over something so silly," she said gingerly. "I had these weird expectations and I pushed them all on you. That wasn't fair of me."

"What expectations?" His eyebrows shot upward.

He appeared so oblivious that Lucy didn't dare taint him with the truth no matter how denying it hurt her. She shook her head. "Nothing important. Just girl stuff."

Natsu stared at her carefully, his gaze going over her features as though he was trying to discern the truth from her face. _Just let it go_, Lucy thought, meeting his eyes resolutely. _Just let it go_. He frowned, but then, seeming to sense her hesitation, he nodded. She let out a relieved breath.

"Would you do something for me then?" He asked with a smirk.

"What's that?" She asked. At this point, she would be glad to do anything just to make it up to him.

"Gimme a smile, Lucy."

Confused but willing to humor him, she smiled.

Natsu snorted. "Smile like you mean it," he muttered, his fingers digging into her hips.

Lucy's heart jumped to her throat. She met his eyes, and all at once her feelings for him pulsed around her chest, filling her, overwhelming her. The corner of his mouth quirked higher, showing his bemusement, and in response, she grinned. She let her joy at being here with him take over her, and all the words she couldn't say just danced in the air around them.

He grinned back at her, seemingly satisfied. "What a creepy smile," he murmured.

"Hey! That's not something you say—" The rest of her retort went muffled as he pressed his lips on hers. He kissed her softly, his hands coming up to rest on her cheeks. Sighing into his mouth, she kissed him back. She let her unspoken emotions flow from her lips to his, and as though he'd sensed it, he tilted his head and deepened the kiss, pushing her backward against the tree. Trapped and surrounded by him and his heat, Lucy took in his sudden passion readily, grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him tighter against her. And for a fleeting, desperate moment, she began to pretend. That he kissed her like this because he felt for her all that she felt for him. That it was more than concern for her safety that had brought him to Etienne's house. That after this, they were going to get a happy ever after. For though they would never be together in that sense, it was a nice thought to be needed by him, to be loved by him. She knew it wasn't right to ask for so much more from him since he already cared immensely about her, but after being kissed like this, it was hard for her not to be greedy.

Natsu grinned against her mouth, his breathing hurried and shallow. "You know this tree we're standing under?"

Lucy broke away slightly to look at him, dazed. "Huh?"

"This tree." He glanced upward, rapping his knuckles against the trunk. "Don't you recognize it?"

Puzzled, she looked up. The tree was like any other cherry tree in the park, though it was larger than any of the others and had broader limbs and a rounder crown of branches. A hazy image of rainbow-colored petals falling along a river flashed briefly in her mind and she gasped, meeting Natsu's expectant gaze. "Is this—?"

He nodded. "Yep. Your cherry tree."

She beamed at him, her heart growing so full all at once that it nearly burst in her chest. That he had shown her again the sole reminder of how sweet and thoughtful he could be was so unexpected that it taught her to hope dangerously. Before she could lose her nerve, she pulled him close and put her lips on his. What she couldn't say in words, she tried to convey to him with her kiss. Perhaps she would tell him everything in time, but for now, she prayed that this would be enough.

"Ahh! You guys—really? I leave you two alone for five seconds and already you can't take your hands off each other?" Swooping in from the sky, Happy landed on the grass at their feet.

Lucy pulled away from Natsu, heat flooding her face. Natsu snickered, brushing his fingers across her cheeks. "Your face is so red."

"I can't help it." She turned apologetically to Happy, who was glowering at them. The Exceed reached up and handed her her dress and keys that she had left behind at Etienne's house.

"That guy wasn't too happy when he saw you were gone," Happy said.

"He'll live," Natsu muttered.

"I can't believe I abandoned my mission just like that, though," Lucy said, pulling on her dress over the black lace slip. She'd never been one to half-ass anything.

"I saw what he'd drawn," Happy said. "It was pretty good. It wasn't finished, but it was good."

Lucy zipped her dress up and glanced at Natsu cautiously. "Maybe I should go back?"

"Go back?!" He gaped at her. "Are you crazy?"

"I could apologize, at least. Tell him it was a misunderstanding." Up until he hiked up her dress, Etienne had been quite nice to her—a little too forward and handsy for her liking, but he was nice. He was probably only going with his instincts as an artist and didn't mean any real harm. Lucy couldn't help but think she'd been hasty in judging him.

Natsu only glared at her, saying nothing.

"Do you like that guy, Lucy?" Happy asked.

"I don't know him well enough to like him," she said. "But I think he was just trying to do his job—"

"In taking your clothes off?!" Natsu's nose flared. "If you wanna apologize to him for bailing on the mission, send a note. There's no point in going back there where he might try to take advantage of you again. I just might kill him this time."

Lucy stared at him, utterly intrigued by his reaction. He couldn't actually be _jealous_...could he? She quickly shook the thought off her mind. Impossible. This was Natsu, after all. He was just being his usual protective dragon slayer self. She sighed. "Fine. I'll just figure out what to do later. Can we go home now? I'm starving."

Natsu nodded, still grumbling under his breath. He pointed to her feet. "Where're your shoes?"

She met his gaze sheepishly. "I left them at the mansion. You did kind of cart me off on your shoulder like a sack of grains, so it's partly your fault."

"Ugh, seriously?" Sighing in exasperation, Natsu crouched in front of her and motioned to his back. "Get on."

"Huh?" Lucy drew back, surprised. "But you don't have to—"

"You wanna walk barefoot to your house?" Without waiting for a reply, Natsu yanked on her hand and laced her arm over his shoulder, pulling her onto his back. "Just get on."

Blushing furiously, she acquiesced, wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders, effectively hugging him from behind. He hooked his arms under her legs and boosted her up, grunting in an exaggerated way. She ruffled his hair. "I'm not that heavy."

Natsu laughed, turning his head towards her. Lucy reveled at how close their faces were, that if she just edged forward—

She didn't have to move, because he apparently shared the same thought—he titled his head and planted his mouth on hers.

Behind them, Happy made a gagging noise. "Can't you two wait to do that when I'm not around? It's so gross." He asked in a tired voice. "Aren't you going to train again today anyway?"

Natsu slowly drew away, licking his lips. He looked at her expectantly. "I dunno… Are we?"

Lucy smiled, glad that he'd considered asking. Her stomach grew warm at the thought of kissing him all night long. "Well, the contest is tomorrow, after all… But it's just strictly training this time. Okay?"

Natsu grinned at her mischievously, his eyes gleaming. "I'm not promising anything."

* * *

**A/N Postscript**: Natsu, you horndog. I sincerely think that once he discovers sex, he'd be unstoppable. Lucky Lucy.

Anyway, like I've said in the previous chapters, music is the backbone of my writing. This chapter, especially the last part at the park, was brought to you by Katharine McPhee's _Terrified._ Taro Iwashiro's _Her Most Beautiful Smile_ helped me write Natsu's "confession" to Master Makarov. Some parts were also inspired by Hans Zimmer's _Kiss Goodbye_ (from 'The Holiday') and Adrian Johnston's _Rose Garden_ (from 'Becoming Jane'). I also assumed that as NaLu fans, you've already read/seen the Cherry Blossom/Rainbow Sakura omake/episode. If you haven't yet and the reference to the cherry tree is lost on you, better read Chapter 182.5 of the manga or watch Episode 73 of the anime.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **Everything concerning Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima. Nothing belongs to me, except the plot of this story.

**Author's Notes: **So sorry for the late update. September was a whirlwind of procrastination, bouts of mental block, and actual bad weather. I had written about 7,000 words into the chapter and then my brain just froze. So I had to divert my attention from the story and did other things. So here we are now.

To those who left those kind reviews in the last chapter, thank you so much! You've been very helpful and encouraging! Your words mean so much to me.

**Lessons**

* * *

**Chapter 7 - In which scores are settled**

* * *

_Water bottles, check. Strawberries and chocolate, check. Bacon slices, check. Mints, check_.

Lucy regarded the supplies laid out on her dining table with a critical eye, wondering if she'd forgotten anything. As far as she could tell, they had all the things they needed. The bacon, though, she wasn't so sure about; she considered leaving it behind, but Natsu had begged her desperately to include it in their supplies list that he'd even threatened to withhold kissing her just to prove how much he wanted it. And, like the ninny that she was, she relented. Of course she did. A begging Natsu was kind of hard to resist.

Not to mention that he had been completely serious about not kissing her, and that idea she didn't like very much. Natsu could be very impatient and self-indulgent at times, but that was also what made him very, very good at kissing. Just thinking about last night's training session made Lucy's belly swirl with sudden warmth.

It had been a trying night, to say the least. She had warned him against not sticking to the contest rules. One simple, careless action could make them Erza's slaves for a month—nobody wanted that—so they needed to be extra careful. But his roving mouth and wandering hands had an agenda of their own, making it all the more difficult for her to pull away and chastise him. Halfway into the session, she had stopped caring altogether, and when he'd sensed her wary submission, he'd all but pushed her down on the sofa and kissed her like his life depended on it. And she had let him. Dear Mavis, she was putty in his capable, dragon slayer hands.

Lucy felt her face flame. His hands...they were so warm, it was like he was purposely trying to set her on fire. The feel of those warm hands on her skin, combined with his leisurely kisses, made thinking straight utterly impossible, and he hadn't even touched her everywhere. Lucy couldn't even imagine what that would be like—she was positive that she would melt into a puddle of goo and lose her mind.

"What is that creepy look about?"

Lucy glanced up. Natsu was leaning his hip against the chair beside her, his arms crossed over his broad chest. He peered at her quizzically. She hadn't even heard him come into her apartment, so immersed was she in her imaginings. "Why don't you ever use the door like a normal person?!" She snapped, her cheeks heating up even more.

He chortled, shrugging. "The window's easier to get to from the street." He poked her in the ribs. "So? Why are you so red? Are you feelin' okay?"

"She's probably thinking about dirty things," Happy said, hopping up on the table.

"I am _not_."

Natsu leered at her. "You're thinking dirty things about me, aren't you?"

Lucy almost said yes—she'd been thinking about him and his warm hands and hot mouth and how she could not seem to stop—but she bit her lip, fighting back the urge. Her flushed, guilty expression didn't escape the dragon slayer, though. His grin broadened, and he started to lean toward her.

"If you're gonna kiss her, Natsu, _just stop_," Happy said, scowling at him. "You have the entire day to do that."

Natsu laughed. "You're right." He pulled himself away and cast Lucy a sidelong glance. "It's all Lucy's fault."

"Why the heck is it my fault?!"

Natsu just laughed some more and shook his head. He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Can we go? The contest is about to start."

Lucy's stomach dropped to the floor. Hastily, she packed all their things into her satchel and followed Natsu and Happy out the door. Her heart drummed in her chest.

It was contest day. Lucy had delayed thinking about it all week because it made her too nervous, and now that it was upon them, her pent-up anxiety seemed to be catching up to her. She wished she could divert her attention elsewhere and be as carefree as Natsu. How did he do it? The mere idea of people ogling them while they kissed troubled her so much that it made her hands feel clammy and her stomach churn uncomfortably.

She took a deep breath. No matter what she felt about it, they were going to get through this contest unscathed and victorious. She promised Natsu she'd help him win. Even if it meant that what they had done in the last five days meant nothing to him but practice, she would still keep her word. After that... Well, she hadn't thought that far ahead yet. Whether she liked it or not, though, she'd get to it eventually.

The guild was packed when they arrived. Lucy stopped dead at the hall entrance, stunned. The dining hall was immersed in its usual chaos, the mages' excitement almost palpable in the air, but there were also regular townsfolk crowding around the stage, eager for the show to unfold. True, it was the first time Fairy Tail had done a contest of this nature, but she hadn't anticipated that it would become some sort of carnival-freak show spectacle. Her limbs swiftly went numb. She'd never known stage fright to be quite so debilitating.

She felt Natsu's warm hand on her shoulder. "Lucy? Something wrong?"

"You look kinda green, Lucy," Happy said unhelpfully.

"It's just…" She swallowed to ease the sudden dryness in her throat. "I'm fine," she said resolutely, hoping she sounded convincing.

Natsu stared at her for a long moment but said nothing. He sighed and took a firm hold of her wrist, leading her through the thick throng of people that happily greeted him as they passed. He answered their cheers with his easy grin and discreetly towed her toward the side of the stage, where they found Gray and Juvia sitting at a table. Their heads were bent together, but when Lucy and Natsu approached, the two of them broke apart, visibly flustered. Natsu snickered.

"Still practicing, snowflake?" He said. "Not quite ready yet, are ya?"

"Don't worry, flamebrain. We've got it mastered." Gray glanced at Lucy, his brows raised. "What's the matter with her?"

"She got sick from watching you two," Happy replied, making Natsu guffaw more obnoxiously.

Gray smirked at Lucy. "Perfect. Now you can puke all over Natsu and forfeit."

"You wish. Even if she threw up on me, I'd still kiss her."

Lucy grimaced at the thought. Even Happy made a disgusted noise. "I'm not going to throw up," Lucy insisted adamantly, glaring at Gray. "So be ready to lose, _snowflake_."

Gray laughed, obviously shocked at her unexpected taunt. "You've got spunk today, huh? Did this fire idiot rub off on you or something?"

Before she could form an appropriately icy retort, Juvia was suddenly standing between her and Gray. The water mage's glare on her was so menacing, Lucy felt chills down her spine. "You're so shameless. Stop flirting with Gray-sama in front of Juvia."

Lucy backed away instinctively, her hands raised in front of her. "_Honestly_, Juvia. We're not—"

The lights in the hall went out. Lucy gawked unseeingly in the unexpected darkness, her pulse racing in her ears. Natsu's grip tightened on her wrist, and soon he was there beside her, his arm touching hers. This small gesture moved her, and all at once she was reassured by his familiar warmth. The noise in the cavernous room rose to a fevered pitch. She turned blindly to Natsu and felt his shoulder graze her nose. "What's going on?"

Natsu's wide grin was almost luminous in the dark. "It's starting."

As soon as he had uttered the words, bright pink and purple lights flared onstage, illuminating four separate red love seats on the platform, spaced evenly from each other. The crowd whooped and roared. An even brighter spotlight flickered on, shining on a place where a whirlwind of sand danced around and gracefully settled, revealing the guild's sand mage, Max. His flashy red suit twinkled in the light.

"Welcome, people of Magnolia," he said in a flourish, smiling at the audience. "Is everyone excited for today's event?"

The crowd yelled their collective assent. Some blew out wolf-whistles. Max grinned at them. "I'm probably more excited than most of you—I couldn't sleep last night—"

_You and me both_, Lucy thought idly.

"—because this is such an unequaled event. Today is the first time we're going to hold an event of this nature! And I won't keep you waiting any longer—let's start Fairy Tail's very first Kissing Casanova Contest!"

Applause thundered in the hall. Unwittingly, Lucy edged closer to Natsu. _Kissing Casanova? Couldn't they have come up with a better name? _Still, the scathing thought didn't divert her from her nerves. Her stomach fluttered ceaselessly in tune with the heightened buzz of the audience. She rested her gaze on Max, who, to his credit, was doing a very good job at hosting.

"First off, let me introduce today's panel of judges," Max said, motioning toward a small table in front of the stage. The spotlight followed his gesture, bringing to light the seated figures. "Our beloved Master Makarov—"

Beside Lucy, Natsu howled in cheer. Master Makarov stood on the tabletop and waved at everyone.

"—the very beautiful Mirajane—"

More wolf-whistles sounded all around the hall. Mira turned over her shoulder and greeted her well-wishers with her genial smile.

"—a warm applause to the Requip goddess, Erza—"

Erza nodded in greeting. "Good luck to our challengers," she announced in reply.

"—and our special guest judge, Ichiya-san from Blue Pegasus!"

The people went wild. Lucy giggled to herself, shaking her head in disbelief. Even Ichiya was in on the spectacle? There were just no limits to Fairy Tail's outrageous antics.

Ichiya stood and executed a rather graceful bow to the audience. "I'm looking forward to smelling the wonderful parfum of love today."

"Thank you, Ichiya-san," Max said, a knowing smirk on his lips. "I'm pretty sure all our contestants will come out of this contest rich with the scent of pheromones, am I right?"

The crowd laughed. Lucy blushed right to the tips of her toes, momentarily glad for the dim lighting in the room. Natsu nudged her. "What're pheromones?"

She blushed even deeper. "They're...uh—"

"Now let's call our contestants onstage!" Max swept his gaze around the hall. Lucy froze where she stood. "Our first pair is a late shoo-in for the contest—I even heard it was the lady's idea to join! Give it up for Elfman and Evergreen!"

Evergreen stepped up onstage, looking stunning in a green sequined dress. Lagging behind her was the hulking figure of Elfman, who wore a jacket of the same shade of emerald. They matched. Lucy smirked, wondering how Ever convinced Elfman to even join. They stood near the first seat to the easternmost side of the stage, Ever smiling demurely at the crowd. Beside her, Elfman gazed around awkwardly, looking out of place.

"Next up is the most unexpected couple of them all. They are true polar opposites: beauty and beast, silk and steel, brains and brawn—presenting Levy and Gajeel!"

It was Gajeel who first came into the light, the flustered script mage shuffling in his wake. The people cheered, and over the general noise, Lucy could hear Droy and Jet's loud enthusiastic cries. It was good that they were willing to support Levy no matter what they thought of Gajeel. Levy waved in their direction, her face tomato red.

"I'm not all brawn, y'know," Gajeel retorted sourly at Max. "I've got brains too!"

"Yeah, whatever," Max mumbled, earning a row of laughter from the crowd. "Just don't sing."

Gajeel jerked and looked quite ready to pummel Max (who was quite unaware of it) but Levy put a hand on his arm. And that was all it took to calm the testy iron dragon slayer down.

"Our third pair has the longest running love-hate relationship in Fairy Tail. But whatever they're really about, we can't deny how much they complement each other—because, really, ice is nothing without water. Good people of Magnolia, let's hear it for Gray and Juvia!"

The citizens roared. It was pretty clear that Gray and Juvia were old favorites; some women even stood up to cheer their hearts out. Perhaps it was because Gray had always been a poster boy for the guild—not to mention many women found his stripping habit to be quite endearing. Gray and Juvia went onstage hand in hand. They wore matching outfits too—Gray was in a tight navy shirt, Juvia in a cute blue sundress. They looked so good together that Lucy wished she and Natsu had dressed similarly as well. Too late for that now.

"Now, then. Our last couple is the frontrunner of our ongoing betting pool. These two mages are very close, and some people even speculate that they're already partners in every sense of the word—"

Some women gave out thrilled squeals, making Lucy's face burn. Natsu chortled gleefully.

"—ah, but only we could tell, right? Once they get up here to prove how close they really are—here are Natsu and Lucy!"

Deafening cheers erupted. All around them people clapped, hooted, yelled, and stomped, their feelings loud and clear in their voices. Natsu slung an arm around Lucy's shoulders, his face close to hers. "C'mon."

Lucy let him drag her up to the stage, her legs feeling like they were made of lead. The bright spotlight was hot on her face, and beyond the edge of the platform, the wild crowd appeared like ominous moving shadows. It was a strange feeling—she'd always been comfortable with public attention, but she felt so scared now. The only thing that anchored her to the reality of the situation was Natsu's arm around her. She leaned against him subtly, wondering if he could tell how tense she really was.

Max waited for the crowd to settle down before he spoke again. "All right, before we start, let's find out what the mystery jackpot prize is for winning our special event today. Master, would you please finally tell us what's in store for the winners?"

Master Makarov chuckled as he hopped up on the judges' table and rested his cheerful gaze on everybody onstage. "My dear brats, I thought really hard about what I could give the winning pair in this spontaneous contest," he said, smoothing his moustache. "First, since this competition started between the boys, I would grant the male winner bragging rights for being the sole kissing genius of our guild."

Lucy winced. It wasn't much of a prize really, but she could see that it amped up Natsu's fighting spirit even more. She turned to look at the others on the stage with them. Gray had that steely resolve in his eyes as well, and Gajeel appeared to have grown even more manic than usual. And Elfman...well, Elfman was Elfman. Every man was his opponent, whatever the situation.

"For the female winner, she would get a gift certificate to her favorite shop in Magnolia."

Lucy perked up. Bragging rights for the male and a shopping trip for the female? Master definitely knew what he was doing.

"And for the winning pair," Master went on, "I would give them an all-expense-paid trip for three days and two nights to Serenitas Island—a private island resort off the coast of Fiore, famous for its aquamarine waters, white sand beaches, and seven-starred VIP treatments for their guests. And they have hot springs that supposedly help bring your magic reserve to its fullest potential."

_An island getaway?_ Lucy snuck a sideways glance at Natsu. If Master had told them of the prize before any of them had gone into training, she was pretty sure she would have scoffed at it. Now, the thought of spending time alone with Natsu on a private island made her insides fill with a desolate sort of yearning.

Natsu met her eyes then, and her heart jumped to her throat. He smiled at her and nodded imperceptibly. Of course he'd want to win the prize too, but not for the same reason she did—knowing him, the magical hot springs and the promise of getting his fire magic magnified had probably piqued his interest. Nevertheless, it would be kind of nice if they won that prize. Even if they didn't go as a couple, Lucy could certainly use the holiday.

"So good luck, boys and girls," Master was saying. "And may the best couple win!"

The audience applauded. Max sighed over-dramatically. "Ehh, a private island vacation? That makes me so envious." He faced Lucy and the others onstage. "But I guess hearing about that made you all pumped up even more now, huh? So let's start the event!

"Remember to keep to the rules. They're very simple. The couple who could kiss the longest, wins. All the other technicalities you already know," he said. He pointed to the direction of the chairs. "Let me just tell you something about those couches. Once you sit down, you'll be within Freed's runic booth, which encloses the area over and around the seat. The rules will be activated once you're in the runic booth, and each time you break a rule, punishment will be delivered to you. In addition," Max smirked, "to make things more interesting, Freed has added an illusory feature to the booth. To demonstrate what I mean, please sit down on the couches."

Natsu tugged at Lucy and plopped down on the love seat, unceremoniously pulling her down with him. It was such a tight squeeze that she was almost sitting on top of him. But once they were safely seated together, the magical runes glimmered around them, forming a shimmering cube of about six feet on all sides, dissolving right away to reveal the mysterious feature that Max had mentioned.

Lucy couldn't help but gasp. Natsu had stiffened beside her. The dining hall of the guild disappeared all of a sudden, and they found themselves sitting in the middle of a small room with dozens of fairy lights strung up in a tent-like canopy above them. It was a cozy, homey space, and right across their love seat was a round brick hearth, the flames from within throwing flickers of amber light on the lemon yellow walls.

"Don't panic now," Max's booming voice rang out from somewhere above them, as though he was speaking from a PA system. "You're still in the guild hall with us. What you're seeing around you is only an illusion. It gives the impression that you're in a private place. You can't see us, but we can see you. The way the rooms appear differ with each couple, I'm told."

Natsu chuckled, shaking his head as his eyes panned around the room. "You've outdone yourself this time, Freed!" He called out. "This is awesome!"

They heard Freed laugh in response. "It's my pleasure to give _you_ pleasure," he said. "Just don't get carried away, Natsu."

There was soft, muffled laughter, which Lucy assumed came from the audience. The illusion was very effective in its purpose—it was meant to distance them mentally from their spectators, which then could adversely make it easier for them to slip and break the rules. Her heart rate sped up at the thought. Somehow, in spite of the pretense of privacy, it only made her even more anxious than she already was.

Natsu turned to her. "What's wrong?" He asked, his forehead crinkling. "Your heart's pounding like crazy."

Lucy bit her lip. "You can hear it?"

"I can always hear it," he said. "It's just louder in a space this small."

She sighed, trying to see past the crackling fire in the hearth where she knew the crowd sat. "I don't know—the idea that there are unseen people out there watching us in here freaks me out."

"Don't mind them then," Natsu said. He reached out and placed his hands on both sides of her face. His dark eyes bore into hers. "Focus on me. We've done this lots of times this past week. There's really no reason for you to be so scared."

Lucy stared back at him, holding her breath. The tender way he held her face made her stomach stir into life. She nodded in reply, not trusting herself to speak.

"Oooohhh, Natsu and Lucy already have a good atmosphere going here," Max announced obnoxiously, eliciting hoots and cheers from the people. "Nice move, Natsu!"

Natsu grimaced but didn't break his gaze from Lucy. His ears had turned as pink as his hair. "I'm starting to get what you mean," he told her, smirking.

Lucy smiled. "What was that you were saying about focusing?"

"Shut up." His eyes dropped to her lips. "Maybe we should start now just to get it out of the way?"

"N-Now?" Lucy swallowed. "Is that allowed?"

"We'll find out."

She'd scarcely readied herself for him when Natsu leaned close and kissed her. She thought she'd be used to him by now, after days and days doing nothing but _this_—even after _last night_—but he still made her breath catch as though he was kissing her for the first time. She leaned into him, giving herself into the kiss despite her initial surprise. Around them, like specters in the air, she heard the faint reactions of the audience—some cheered, others whooped—and, oddly, while Natsu kissed her, all those other things didn't bother her as much.

"Natsu's in attack mode!" Max crowed, the astonishment clear in his voice. "He's as impatient as ever! He's making everyone look bad—oh, wait, Gray's started with Juvia as well! What the—"

"Why don't you just start the damn timer?!" Gajeel growled from somewhere. "What kind of announcer are y—" The rest of his complaints went muffled then, and Max guffawed loudly.

"An unexpected attack from Levy! She's managed to shut Gajeel up—who would have thought that was possible?"

Lucy giggled against Natsu's mouth. Max's running commentary was so ridiculous, she'd wondered what had caused her to feel so anxious in the first place. Natsu traced his fingers along her jaw in a brief caress, drawing her attention. He smiled without pulling away from her. "Focus, Lucy," he coaxed.

"Oh, sorry." She meant to laugh more, but he became earnest in his kisses, brushing his lips against hers so very lightly that it made her shiver. He was being so gentle now that she wondered what had happened to his usual ardor—he was normally so demanding. But, somehow, this new calm way of his also made her pulse leap, and she found herself pressing against him in response, hoping to bait him, to lure his passion out. Natsu chuckled.

"Don't be greedy," he said, keeping at his tender pace.

"What are you doing?" She muttered.

He sighed against her lips, and it was the first time Lucy felt him restrain himself. "We'd last longer this way," he grumbled, the note of frustration clear in his voice. "You gotta help me here."

Lucy had a sudden sense of mischief. "Sort of like how you helped me last night?"

Natsu grinned. "I didn't hear you complain last night."

"That's beside the point." She pressed her lips more firmly on his. He gasped slightly, and his fingers trickled from her cheek down to the back of her neck, his touch sending a jolt down her spine. She tugged on his scarf. "Maybe we should have practiced this," she mumbled softly.

Natsu's laugh rumbled in his throat. His fingers kept stroking the skin of her nape as his lips grazed her mouth, the dual sensations driving her crazy. Lucy squirmed, torn between liking what he was doing and wanting him to take further control. She parted her lips invitingly, hoping he would take the initiative.

He didn't. Natsu continued to kiss her tenderly, languidly, as though he had all the time in the world. Lucy knotted her hands in his scarf, pulling at it urgingly to make her feelings known. She felt him smile. Instead of giving her what she wanted, however, he traced a hand from the base of her skull down along her back very, very slowly, his fingertips flame-hot. The thrill of his light caress sent shivers all over her body, and she had to hold her breath to keep herself from making an embarrassing sound.

He was deliberately teasing her.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she found him watching her as he kissed her. The intensity of his gaze made her stomach gnaw on itself. It was clear that he still meant to hold back, but he seemed to be anticipating her reactions too. With a smirk, she bravely pulled away long enough to say, "Two can play this game, Natsu."

* * *

Natsu couldn't believe what she had just said. And he didn't doubt her words; Lucy could be quite cunning when she wanted to be. And now that she had decided to get serious with him, he realized he had just gotten himself into deeper trouble. As it was, he was already on the brink of insanity from sitting so close to her.

He mentally braced himself. In spite of what Lucy might think, the pace he'd set was more for his own damned good than anything. If he had started on her in his usual urgency, they wouldn't last fifteen minutes in the contest. But Lucy seemed to be banking on the idea that he was in full control of himself, which was a huge joke, considering his hands were already itching to mold themselves all over her. It didn't help that the small cubicle formed by Freed's runes had somehow managed to trap her warm scent, and it filled his head, making him feel dizzy and lightheaded. She smelled of apples and cinnamon today—was it a new soap? He leaned further onto her softness, pushing her unwittingly against the back of the couch, and she moaned quietly. He cursed, his heart almost exploding in his chest. He was sure he was going to die from holding himself back so hard.

He tried to focus on her lips to steel himself, kissing her chastely, the way he had done when they'd first started days ago. Lucy sighed, and Natsu could almost taste the unhappiness in her breath. He knew she wanted to be kissed seriously. It was in the way she snaked her arms around his neck, in the way she tilted her head and pulled him closer. And, dammit, he wanted nothing else but to oblige—he was dying to make her happy—but that would also mean he'd have to squash what was left of his self-control, and if he did that, it would be as good as forfeiting the game to that stupid Ice Make idiot. There was no friggin' way Natsu was going to let that happen.

"...and Elfman seem to be holding up very well, though I don't think he and Ever have moved in the last fifteen minutes..."

Max's commentaries continued in the background, the little booth giving his voice an odd, droning quality. Natsu struggled to listen. It wasn't exactly an easy task, not when he was so preoccupied with Lucy's lips, but maybe if he paid attention to what the sand mage was saying, he could somehow sustain their pace for at least forty-five minutes. He shifted in his seat.

Big mistake. Lucy must have thought that he was ready to give in to her because she lifted her legs and draped them over his lap so that she was almost, _almost_ sitting on top of him. _Holy shit_. Was sitting like this even allowed?

Lucy grinned against his mouth in reply. He didn't even realize he'd asked the question out loud. "I haven't been electrocuted yet so I guess this is okay," she said.

Natsu swallowed. Where was he supposed to put his hands now? He wanted to grab her hips like he always did in their trainings but he distinctly remembered it being against the rules. And why had Lucy worn this backless top anyway?! The feel of her skin under his palms was making him even antsier than usual. "You don't play fair," he grunted to her.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she murmured, sidling up even closer to him. "Should I take out the chocolate?"

"Shit, Lucy. Don't even try." The mere thought of licking melted chocolate off her lips made his groin tighten instinctively. He shook off his sudden heated thoughts. There wasn't going to be any eating today, that was for damned sure—not while they kissed anyway.

Lucy giggled and relaxed against him. "Fine," she mustered, giving out another longing sigh. "Let's just do it your way then."

Natsu didn't know why, but it was her reluctant acquiescence that broke his resolve. He grabbed her around the waist as he had been longing to do and kissed her long and hard, eliciting a very justified gasp from her. He grinned to himself, mashing his mouth on hers, stealing her breath, losing his own mind in her kiss. He was giving her what she yearned for, and yet he felt it still wasn't enough for both of them. He wanted to give her more than this, and he wanted to make it _matter_. More importantly, he wanted to kiss her like this when nobody was around, when it wasn't just for show, when it was only the two of them in her room like how it always was. It almost made him want to quit the contest altogether.

But they had made it this far. Once they won that prize, however, he would get his chance. And maybe then he could kiss her all he wanted. The idea made him tighten his arms around her.

And then he heard it: the sudden, unmistakable zap of electricity in the air. Natsu shut his eyes tightly, ready for it to hit him. It never came. Instead, the awful, guttural cry of what sounded like a wounded animal echoed throughout the hall. The audience stirred, their mumblings rising in the din. Startled, Natsu raised his head for a quick second to check what had happened, but Lucy pulled him back to her just as quickly.

"Three seconds, remember?" She hissed before kissing him again. But he could tell she was as distracted as he was, and without parting from her, he struggled to listen to what was going on. Over the general noise of the crowd, he heard Max. And the sand mage was laughing.

"…can't believe it. Of all the people to beg off early, it's _you_? What an unbelievable twist."

"Shut your stinking trap, wouldja?!" Gajeel roared back, and the gush of anger in the iron dragon slayer's voice made Natsu bite back a laugh.

"Ladies and gents," Max announced, "for all those who didn't see it, Gajeel and Levy are now out of the game. How did it happen, you ask? I'll tell you—"

"You just try, you friggin' sandfly," Gajeel snapped.

"—our metalhead friend here got overwhelmed _after just twenty minutes_ and took it upon himself to grab Levy-chan's a—"

"Shut up, I said!" What happened next, Natsu could only guess; a scuffle seemed to have followed, with Max yowling and Gajeel snarling and Levy begging them to stop, and then there was Erza, finally interfering.

Natsu felt Lucy's shoulders shake. Taking advantage of the current diversion onstage, he lifted his lips from hers for a mere millisecond just to be able to look at her face properly. "Lucy?"

A bubble of a laugh escaped her. "Poor Levy-chan," she said, her lips brushing against his as she spoke. She smoothed her fingers against his cheek, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. "Let's not be careless like that, alright?"

He grinned, only eager to agree. "That's one opponent down," he declared happily. "Two more to go."

* * *

Waiting for the others to drop like flies was easier said than done.

Lucy had never anticipated in her life that kissing could be such hard work. It wasn't without its finer moments—she was kissing Natsu, after all—but doing it within preset conditions made it a little predictable and rather _boring_, if she was going to be blunt about it.

They tried to be patient. Mavis knew they tried. But an hour and fifty minutes after Gajeel and Levy got booted out, she and Natsu were already struggling. For one thing, Natsu was hungry. When she had taken out the bag of bacon from her satchel, he'd protested right away, saying something about danger, bacon grease, and her lips. It didn't make a lick of sense. She figured it was just the hunger talking so she'd set the bacon aside within easy reach in case he changed his mind, but he never did despite the urgent, longing sounds that his stomach made.

The other thing that made the event an ordeal was trying to stick to the rules. Kissing with limitations didn't offer much variety, and since Gajeel's untimely slip, Natsu had grown averse to kissing her with any real intensity. He'd gone back to the safe kisses he'd started with, which was cute and sweet in a way, but knowing what kind of kisses he was capable of, Lucy couldn't help but feel a little neglected. They could be passionate and careful at the same time, couldn't they?

So she decided to draw him out. When hour two passed, Lucy slipped her hand on the back of his neck and began stroking him the way he had done to her earlier. Almost instantly, he stiffened, a groan forming in his throat.

"Lucy."

"Hmm?"

"Don't do that."

"Why not?" She let her thumb draw circles on his skin. He shivered.

"Because," he grumbled, "it makes me wanna do things."

She smiled inwardly. "Like what things?" She asked innocently, drawing another circle.

Natsu took a long slow breath in through his nose and let it out just as slowly. And then, very subtly, he slanted his head and kissed her deeply, drawing her bottom lip into his mouth, grazing it with his teeth. Her heart leapt and her stomach knotted. And just when she was about to respond, he rescinded, sealing her lips with a closed-mouthed kiss. "We're going to lose if we keep this up, y'know," he said through gritted teeth.

"So?" She said, feeling a bit slighted. "Let's just lose then."

"No." His tone was surprisingly firm. "I wanna win that prize."

"Oh. Right." She tried to ignore the pang that twisted in her chest. She really did. Reminding herself once again what she was doing this for, she retrieved her hand and put it on a safe spot on his shoulder. Everything else proceeded tamely from then on, and time seemed to stretch indefinitely, with Lucy feeling Natsu's lips on hers, with him holding her lightly and not really kissing her. She consoled herself by listening to Max's commentaries just to see how everyone else was faring.

"…and Lucy are going hot and cold, aren't they? Whatever their strategy, it seems to be working." There was a hint of bemusement in Max's voice. "Gray and Juvia, on the other hand, well… It's definitely not for children's eyes, what they're doing—how they haven't slipped like Gajeel yet is a wonder, but then again, maybe they've clocked in the most hours of _training_ out of everyone in the contest…" He chuckled at his own joke. "Anyway, Elfman and Evergreen are still at their leisurely pace, if you could even call it that… Don't they almost seem like they've become comatose, though? I haven't seen them move at all in the last hour—"

An abrupt commotion interrupted his speech flow: a sharp ripping noise followed by the sound of what seemed like tiny pebbles clattering on the wooden stage. Max guffawed loudly and then—

_BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT_

A rough cry of pain rang out, shattering the lull in the hall. Max continued laughing. In Lucy's arms, Natsu stirred, his eyes opening, his gaze focusing on her. He was grinning evilly.

Because Gray had just lost.

"What the heck, Gray?" Max sputtered, unable to control his laughter. "Why did you think tearing her dress open was a good idea, man? There are children here!"

"I— I wasn't—" Judging from his shocked tone, Gray himself seemed unable to believe what he had done. Lucy wished she could see what was happening.

"It's not all Gray-sama's fault," Juvia interjected breathlessly.

"Yeah, well, I'm sure it's mostly his fault, seeing as he's a complete stripping pervert," Max replied cheerfully. "So, my dear friends, that leaves us with only two couples now—"

Natsu laughed quietly. He brushed his nose against Lucy's. "We're so close, Lucy."

Lucy smirked. "I wouldn't say that. Elfman's still in the game—"

"Doesn't matter," Natsu said, "as long as Gray's out. It means we've already won." With that, he pulled her closer and pushed his lips on hers. And he wasn't so careful now.

"—so for those of you who still haven't put your bets in, do it now! We're on our last stretch here with Natsu and Lucy, who are competing head to head with Elfman and Ever—"

Lucy was relishing Natsu's newfound vigor and enjoying the feel of his arms around her when Max's words suddenly hit her. They were on their last stretch. And no matter how long this last stretch lasted, it would still come to an end. Which meant that this would probably be the last time Natsu would kiss her like this. Because after this—

A lump formed in her throat. Tears burned in the back of her eyes. After this, she would go back to being Natsu's best friend. His nakama. And everything between them would be back to the way it was.

Except it wouldn't be, not really. Because for her, everything had already changed.

Her chest tightened. In an effort to salvage this fleeting moment with him, she laced her arms around his neck and kissed him the way she wanted, the way she yearned. A swift sort of desolation enveloped her, and helpless against it, she stifled a sob, tears spilling down her cheeks. She kept kissing him even as she cried, even as Natsu felt the wetness on their skin and brought his hands up to her cheeks.

"Lucy?" The tender note in his voice tore at her wretchedly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Natsu," she mumbled. "Just kiss me, okay?"

"I already am kissing you—"

"No, kiss me like you mean it."

He stilled for the briefest instant—Lucy thought he might have misunderstood her—before he took her in his arms and yielded to her plea, kissing her almost violently. Cherishing what he offered, she kissed him back with her whole heart, wishing time would stop for a day, for an hour even, so that she could stay like this with him without worrying about what later would bring. He seemed to sense her desperation; he braced his arms around her and hoisted her up over his lap, cradling her against him. She waited for the zap of Freed's runes, waited for the end, but the air around them remained still. It was as if the runes had decided to conspire with her. Smiling in relief, she kissed Natsu further, happy to be cocooned in their little booth because it made pretending so much easier. Everything else—the dining hall, the audience, and even Max's voice—seemed to dissolve away, leaving them alone in their tender, perfect moment.

Only it was too perfect to last.

Lucy was so immersed in his kisses that she had failed to notice when he had slipped his hand under her halter top. It wasn't until he had cupped her breast that she realized just how far they had gone—there were no loopholes for them now. The jolt of electricity came out of nowhere—it hit Natsu on his hand, and Lucy felt the sting of it on her chest where he'd touched her. The shock of it threw them both off their chair, and suddenly they were out of their cozy fire-lit room and back on the stage, blinking disorientedly against the bright spotlight.

Max looked as stunned as they were. "Wha-? Natsu?! What the heck happened?" The murmurs of the people in the hall rose in response. "Did anybody see what—?"

Romeo rushed onstage and whispered something in Max's ear. The sand mage burst out laughing.

"Seriously?!" Max clucked his tongue and shook his head. "You were willing to be thrown off the contest just to cop a feel, Natsu? Didn't peg you for a boobs kind of guy, but do whatever floats your boat."

Lucy felt her face burn. She pursed her lips and threw Natsu an idle glance. He was sitting up and grasping his stung hand onto his chest, but when he caught her gaze, he beamed wickedly, unabashed. He didn't seem too upset about the loss, which made her feel a bit better despite the circumstances.

Max was still snickering. "This only means one thing, right?" He smiled at the audience. "We have the champions of our very first Kissing Casanova Contest! Let's hear it for Elfman and Evergreen!"

Lucy watched as Elfman and Evergreen rose from their loveseat and welcomed the crowd's very energetic cheers. Elfman appeared extremely pleased and a little surprised, but Evergreen was unfazed as ever, as though this turnout was only to be expected.

"Any words to say to your fellow competitors, _Casanova_?" Max asked Elfman, who went red-faced at the title.

"Err..." He glanced down at his better half. "I guess it only works when you're a man being kissed by the person who loves you. Right, Ever?"

"Who says I love you?" She snapped at him, but her cheeks had grown pink with pleasure.

Max chuckled. "It also didn't hurt that she turned you to stone just so you wouldn't grab her lady parts, huh, Elfman?"

"She didn't—!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Max clapped him on the shoulder. "Congratulations to you all the same! Now why don't we get this afterparty started? I need a drink."

Lucy smirked as she stood up and dusted her knees, looking on as people in the dining hall milled about in high spirits, eager for the celebrations to begin. The contest was over. Just like that. Instead of feeling relief, a weight settled heavily in her chest. She turned to glance at Natsu, only to find him being whisked offstage by Erza, wailing as the Requip mage dragged him by the ear. The music started after that, loud and upbeat, and she sighed, momentarily at a loss. If she were being honest, she didn't feel much like celebrating at all.

That was when she sensed the warm presence at her side. "Are you okay, Lu-chan?" Levy asked, but she already had that look of understanding on her face. The Solid Script mage smiled at her. They were in the same plight, after all.

Lucy smiled back. At the moment, it was all she could do. "I'm fine," she said, if only to reassure herself. "C'mon, Levy-chan. Let's go get something to drink."

* * *

The celebratory party went on well into the late hours of the night. Long after the townspeople had gone, the mages remained, toasting Elfman and Evergreen, suggesting when the next big event would be. Some speculated it would be a wedding, and a lot of the others agreed, stealing knowing glances at the victors. Judging by the way Ever clung on to Elfman, it was a very distinct possibility.

All throughout the bash, Lucy strove to feel optimistic. She surrounded herself with her friends—Levy, Cana, Erza, Wendy—drinking, chatting, and having fun, all the while trying not to mind that she hadn't seen Natsu all night and that he hadn't made an effort to find her. It was funny how at any other time she wouldn't even have spared him a moment's thought—he was probably up to his usual mischief, goofing around, playing pranks, and imbibing firewhiskey with the men. Now, though... She felt a certain kind of loss, not having him by her side. It was a sinking, vile sensation deep within her chest, made even more pronounced by the thought that she ought to get used to it from now on. There were no more trainings to be had, no more quiet moments to look forward to, no more secret looks to be shared. From tonight, there would only be days of missions and adventures ahead of her, followed by nights of...nothing. She swallowed hard. She didn't want to seem ungrateful—she had wonderful friends, a large family of mages that accepted her, and a place to call home. She had everything, and yet she didn't feel it was enough. Not anymore.

"Ugh, you two are so depressing to look at," Cana snarled, catching her attention. The brunette slammed two shot glasses on the bar in front of her and Levy and filled it to the brim with a gold-colored liquid that smelled thickly of gas fumes. "Here, have a shot."

Erza cleared her throat. "Tequila, Cana? That's probably not a good idea."

"Stop policing for a sec, will ya?" Cana snapped. She placed another shot on the bar, this time in front of Erza. "You get one too."

"What's this for?" Lucy asked. She wasn't exactly a fan of the hard stuff; she could barely finish a pint of beer without feeling woozy.

"To _celebrate_!" Cana smiled.

_Celebrate what?_ Lucy figured any excuse to drink was good enough for Cana. She glanced warily at the shot, then at Levy. The script mage's gaze was directed all the way down the bar though, where Gajeel was slumped on the countertop, nursing his own drink. "Levy-chan?" She called her tentatively.

Levy looked up, startled. Her cheeks instantly filled with color. "Yes! That's a good idea, Cana."

Cana guffawed. "Okay, on three. No sipping like a ninny, alright? Throw it down straight like a sailor. One...two...three!"

Lucy followed Cana's lead and took her shot. The liquid burned a path down her throat, making her sputter. Levy fared no better; she coughed out half of it, her eyes filled with tears. Wendy fanned her hands worriedly at them.

Cana smirked, shaking her head. "Virgins," she muttered. Shrugging nonchalantly, she filled their glasses again.

Cana kept the shots coming mercilessly. By the sixth round, Lucy's head was spinning. Beside her, Levy had sat down on a barstool and had her face buried in her hands, mumbling incoherently.

"That should probably do it for tonight, Cana," Erza said, her forehead crinkled.

"Aw, party pooper," Cana huffed, but she still filled the glasses nonetheless. "Come on, one more?"

"What the hell are you trying to do, stupid hag?"

Lucy glanced up, trying not to sway where she stood. Gajeel was there with them all of a sudden, standing beside Erza. He was glowering at Cana.

"Want a shot too?" The card mage offered, giggling merrily.

"That's enough," Gajeel said curtly. He turned towards Levy. "Hey, squirt. You okay?"

Levy didn't even glance up. She kept mumbling into her hands.

"Take her home, Gajeel," Erza ordered. "She's in no condition to walk."

"No need to tell me." Gajeel bent down and peered at the blue-haired girl. "Levy. Can you stand, at least?"

The sound of her name elicited a response. Levy raised her head from her hands. "Gajeel? 'S thatchu?"

"Yeah, it's me," the bad-tempered man grumbled, looking uncomfortable.

"I can't feel my face."

Gajeel swore under his breath. Cana snickered, nudging Lucy in her ribs. The iron dragon slayer glared at both of them, his eyes almost flashing. Without another word, he picked Levy up in his arms. Seemingly aware of where she was, Levy laced her arms around his neck and snuggled her face into his throat. He promptly turned red and swung around, briskly walking away from the bar.

"Don't forget to get here early tomorrow!" Erza called after him, and he grunted in reply.

Lucy watched them leave wistfully. The tenderness with which Gajeel regarded Levy spoke volumes of how much he cared about her in spite of the brusqueness in his manner. Somehow, it only made her feel even more despondent, more hollow. With a soft sigh, she turned back to the bar, grabbed her shot, and quickly gulped it down. Cana cackled in surprise, and Erza quickly retrieved the shot glass from her.

"Cut her off, Cana," Erza snapped at the laughing woman. "I mean it."

"Fine," Cana replied. "That's the last one, okay, Lucy?"

Lucy nodded, grabbing the edge of the counter to steady herself. She knew she couldn't take any more shots—she could hardly stand upright as it was. But the alcohol seemed to numb her feelings down, which she liked. "I'd better get home too," she said, her words seeming to tumble together.

Erza eyed her critically. "Will you be okay to go by yourself?"

"Of course!" She might have said that a little too forcefully. "Yeah, I can go home by myself, no problem whatsoever."

"All right. Take care then."

Lucy ambled towards the guild doors as carefully as she could, averse to raising Erza's suspicion any further. The last thing she wanted was for the overbearing mage to make a fuss over her. Given how the day had turned out, she wanted to be left alone. On the way out, however, the floor seemed to shift around a little from under her, so she tried to walk as straight as she could manage.

"Lucy? Where're ya going?"

She stopped in her tracks. _Now_ he decided to come to her? Tsk. She turned around slowly. Natsu walked over to where she'd stopped by the doors, with Happy floating in his wake. She tried not to look at the Exceed lest she make herself even more dizzy.

"You're leaving already?" Natsu asked, his cheeks rosy. He seemed a bit tipsy himself.

"Erza said we have an early day tomorrow," Lucy slurred, her tongue feeling like it had grown double in size. "For the punishment."

"You sound drunk," Natsu noted, frowning slightly. "Are you drunk?"

"No," she huffed. "I don't get drunk."

"She's drunk, Natsu," Happy murmured.

"Shaddup, cat." Turning arouns, she made her way out of the guild, almost hitting her head on the door jamb.

Happy snorted. "Natsu, she's gonna fall into the river. You know how she likes to walk on that ledge by the riverside."

"Oh, shit, yeah." Natsu instantly shuffled after her. "Lemme go with you, Lucy."

She didn't argue but just kept walking. Maybe if she didn't answer him, if she ignored him long enough, he would just leave her be. But Natsu was Natsu; he easily caught up to her, and soon enough, they were walking side by side down the quiet cobbled street, his easy stride matching her own wobbling steps.

Lucy scrambled her head for something to say, though she wasn't really in the mood to talk. She'd heard before how alcohol could affect some people, making them more talkative, lowering their inhibitions, but strangely, it had only rendered her mute and fidgety. Beside her, Natsu seemed quite at ease, content even, and right then she envied his naïveté. If she could feel as unaffected as he did, she reckoned she'd be quite serene and happy, too. Feelings were just too burdensome.

They reached her place a few short minutes later, and Lucy was about to thank him for seeing her home safe when he walked right up the steps to the door and waited for her to follow. Her heart jumped to her throat then. What was he up to? Intrigued and a little suspicious, she trailed after him.

Once inside her room, he made a beeline for her bed and promptly collapsed face down on her quilt. Exuding what seemed like a lusty, relieved sigh, he glanced at her sideways and smiled, and then closed his eyes. "Long day, huh?"

Lucy smirked to herself. What an understatement. "The longest."

"Hmm." He turned his nose back to her bedspread. "Your bed smells so nice..." And then he went quiet. She waited for him to say something more but then realized from his deep, even breaths that he had somehow drifted off.

Lucy gaped at him, a quiet fluttering stirring in her belly. He was going to spend the night with her. The thought of it made her suddenly breathless. Ever since the contest concluded, she had worried about how she and Natsu would move forward from whatever ambiguous place they were currently in. The whole event had blurred the line between them so badly, did she dare to hope again now? But, surely, he wouldn't have gone into her room if he had no intention of spending the night with her in the first place, right?

Not wasting another second wondering about what it could all mean, she went about her room and gathered her night things, then headed to the bathroom for a shower. Whatever she felt about the whole situation now, she wasn't going to crawl into bed next to Natsu smelling like a drunken sailor, that was for sure.

She did most of the thinking in the bathroom. As she washed her hair and soaped herself, she tried not to feel too excited, too _elated_. She spent enough time under the hot water to rid herself of her lasting inebriety, though the woozy feeling didn't leave her completely. She made sure she had all her faculties intact. Because no matter what might or might not happen with her and Natsu tonight, she wanted to be coherent enough to be able to know and remember it.

And so she calmed herself down, donned her best lace-and-silk night gown, and went through her nightly rituals as level-headedly as she could. She tried to convince herself that tonight was the same as every other night. She recited this idea to herself as a mantra over and over again as she stepped out of the bathroom, all the while feeling her heart beat hard against her chest. She walked toward her bed in the darkness of her room as quietly as her bare feet would allow.

And then she felt like the biggest kind of fool.

Because her bed was empty. Beside it, the window was wide open, the curtains fluttering in the light night breeze.

* * *

**A/N**: Did anyone see that coming? Elfman always gets underestimated, I think, haha. I'll try to update again next week because the next chapter's already laid out in my head.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **Everything concerning Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima. Nothing belongs to me, except the plot of this story.

**Author's Notes: **As I had promised, here's my latest chapter. I was surprised by how well-received the previous chapter was—it makes me so happy. I think chapter 7 was the hardest to write, all because I needed Natsu and Lucy to be kissing the entire time during the contest (I mean, really, how can I narrate that from Lucy's perspective?!), and I had a problem with how I was going to show the other couples as well. And then I thought—Max. Problem solved.

As always, thank you so much for your supportive feedback. I take into consideration every message you leave me. I guess nobody really saw that cliffhanger coming, huh? Why did Natsu leave? Isn't he just in the kitchen or something? (**Vaneles**, that one made me laugh.) Well, you'll find out.

**Senbei x Cup Ramen**, writing the contest part was a huge challenge! I think that was what caused my mental block to begin with—there was a time when I couldn't figure out how to make the contest part work at all. The kiss scenes, however, they're the most exciting parts to put on paper. But I always need to set the writing mood and I'm not always in that zone, haha. Thus, the music. As for helping you, I'd be glad to!

**Lessons**

* * *

**Chapter 8 - In which the end is the beginning**

* * *

That night, Natsu came to Lucy in her dreams.

This occurrence wasn't so unusual in itself; since she'd started training with Natsu, he'd become a regular fixture in her dreams. It unnerved her in the beginning. Natsu was her friend, true, but she felt he had no business butting into her private musings, dream or otherwise. Yet somehow his imagined form always displayed the effervescence he had in real life that it became difficult for her not to let it pass. Not that she had a choice in the matter of what she could dream about anyway—but having him there always managed to make her feel energized in the mornings.

Tonight, though, something was different. Perhaps it was because she had gone to bed feeling dejected and confused that her subconscious mind tried to comfort her by summoning a version of him that she needed. He came to her subdued, worried, his eyes hard to fathom in the darkness. It was like he materialized from a hidden crack in her mind, interrupting another muddled dream as quickly and as unexpectedly as he had appeared, swooping in to hold her. His lips met hers in a very light kiss, his tenderness almost tearing her apart. He was so tremendously warm. In dreams or in real life, that aspect of him never changed, and she was convinced it was largely what soothed her from her qualms every time.

She didn't know when the dreams ended, or what roused her to the surface of wakefulness, but when she opened her eyes, it was still night. As her eyes adjusted in the dark, for a moment the room swayed, and she didn't move, waiting for the rolling sensation to pass. Unwittingly, her gaze found the open window—the thing that had caused her so much indirect grief tonight. The gauzy curtains flitted in the wind. The soft breeze held the bite of early autumn, but, odd, she didn't feel cold at all. In fact, she was very, very warm. Thinking that she was still in the vestiges of her dream, she moved, and then she found the source of all that surface heat.

Natsu.

He was pressed against her back, holding her tightly to his chest, his body curved around hers. She felt his soft breath on the back of her neck, and her whole body reacted quickly, goosebumps breaking out all over her skin. And once she acclimated to his presence in her bed, she began to register his nearness: they were touching everywhere—her back and his chest, her bottom and his pelvis, her thighs and his. Even the soles of her feet rested on the tops of his. One arm rested underneath her head, the other was wrapped around her waist, his hand on her stomach. As gently as Lucy could, she put her hand over his to hold him there. And as though in response, he stirred, gathering her even closer to him. Her toes curled against his feet. She felt him take in a deep waking breath.

"Lucy?" His voice was low but rough, sleep-tinged. "You awake?"

She nodded. She thought of a dozen things to say but all she could muster was, "You're here?"

"Where else would I be?"

He'd said it so simply, so matter-of-factly, as though there was no other place in the world where he belonged, as though it was his truth. It made her smile. "But earlier," she murmured lightly, "you left. You weren't here when I came out of the bath."

"Ah." He snickered, the gust of his breath fanning her shoulder. "I went to the public bath house. I kinda stank of beer. Didn't want you to smell me like that."

"Oh." She grinned in the dark. Funny how their thoughts had been in sync the whole time.

"Don't you want me here?" He asked when her silence stretched on.

She tightened her hold on his hand, hugging his arm snugly. "I want you here."

"Good." He buried his face in the crook of her neck, and the feel of his mouth below her ear sent shivers all over her body. "You're trembling," he observed. "You cold?"

"N-No..." Lucy shut her eyes tight, thankful for the dark. Her face was turning a hundred shades of red, it felt like. But how could he be so calm in this situation, though? She was so aware of each and every place where his body touched hers. His breath on her skin alone sent her reeling.

Natsu said nothing but kept holding her. A few short seconds later, Lucy felt him grow several degrees warmer. Instantly, she knew what he was doing, but it still filled her with a sense of wonder—she didn't even know he could manipulate his body temperature like that. What a very convenient magic he had.

At the thought of his magic, she perked up. "Natsu?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry that we lost the contest," she said, a little sad.

He smirked against her skin. "Nah, it's okay."

"But you wanted to win that prize so much."

Natsu chuckled. "Can't be helped, yeah? When Elfman is apparently a kissing genius."

He'd said it so offhandedly that it made her giggle. "I think it was Ever who had that whole situation under control," she countered, remembering the woman's knowing expression when they had won.

"That's what I thought too," he agreed. "Turning Elfman into stone, though—that was a good move. It saved him from all that crazy struggle."

She turned her head slightly toward him. "Are you saying _you_ struggled?" She asked doubtfully.

"Are you being serious right now?" He scoffed. "I was trying not to manhandle you the entire time we were up there. That was a lot of work, y'know."

The thought of him struggling to restrain himself while he kissed her made her grow even warmer than she already was. "And still we lost," she said morosely. "But... Maybe if we asked Master about those hot springs, he could tell us—"

"You thought I wanted to win because of the hot springs?"

"Didn't you?"

"No, you weirdo," he said, disbelief coloring his tone. "I don't care about some lousy hot springs."

"But—"

"You wanted to go to that island, didn't you?" He asked. "I saw how much you wanted it—it was all over your face."

Lucy blinked. "You wanted to win it because of me?"

"Of course!"

She bit her lip. Pleasure, unlike any other, washed over her.

"Maybe we could just make a trip of it," Natsu went on. "Ask the old man where that place is."

"It's a private island resort, Natsu. It would be a very expensive trip."

"Then let's take on a mountain-load of missions," he answered. "Like it's hard."

"I think we'd have to take on S-class missions to be able to afford that place," Lucy pointed out.

"What!" He huffed out a disgruntled noise. "Jeez. Well, why did you wanna go there so badly anyway?"

Her mouth went dry. She wondered how this would turn out if she just told him the truth. Would he run? Would he brush her off like she'd been fearing? She swallowed past the lump that formed in her throat. And all of a sudden, she realized she couldn't say it. Because if she did and he left, it would really, really break her.

"Lucy?"

"I—" She paused, fighting against the lie that almost slipped out of her mouth. What the heck was she doing? Natsu deserved the truth. If their situations were reversed, she'd want to hear what he had to say all the same. She sighed. "I wanted to win it because it would have meant we'd go there together." Alone, she almost added.

"Oh."

That single word hung in the air between them. She held her breath, waiting for him to say something more, but when the minutes passed and he remained quiet, she felt the sudden awkwardness seep into the moment like water in a sinking boat. He was going to reject her. She could feel it coming.

"Can I ask you something, Lucy?"

It wasn't what she expected. His tone was light, hopeful even. "Sure," she mumbled.

"Can we keep training?"

She frowned. "What?"

He let out a deep breath. He shifted, withdrawing his arms from her as he moved to sit up. Rolling onto her back, she looked up at him. In the dark, she couldn't see his face clearly, but she could make out the distinct shadow of the furrow on his brow.

"I wanna keep training with you," he said, bracing his arm on her other side to lean over her.

"Okay..." She didn't know what to say to that abrupt declaration. "But Natsu, the next contest would probably be—"

"I wanna keep training with you," he interrupted, "and I want you to keep training with me. Just _me_." He visibly swallowed. "For the rest of our lives."

She stopped breathing. She stared up at him, her heart throbbing painfully. "What are you saying?" She whispered.

"I'm saying I love you, Lucy."

She couldn't believe it. Did he just—? But surely, she heard that wrong. Surely, he had meant something else. "O-Of course you do, Natsu," she replied with a tremulous smile. She pushed herself up off her back, feeling all too vulnerable looking up at him from her position on the bed. "We're nakama—"

"You're not just a nakama, though," he said. "Not to me."

She gaped at him. His gaze was steady and intense. She tried to say something, anything, but words failed her.

"Do you remember that day when we confronted Rogue?" He asked then. "During the Games?"

She nodded. How could she forget? It was the day the world almost ended.

"I was so careless," he said, his voice gruff, "trusting him like that. But when he...when he _killed_ you—" He paused, seeming to catch himself, gritting his teeth. "—that was the _worst_. And I did nothing. I just stood there and watched like an idiot."

Her chest tightened. It wasn't a memory she savored—she'd more than willingly forget it if she could. Watching herself die like that had been nothing short of a trauma to her. But never once since it happened did she consider how others had felt about it, how Natsu had taken it. She looked at Natsu now with a newfound sense of anguish. "But you couldn't have known, Natsu. None of us knew what Rogue was up to."

"Until it was too late." He shook his head as if to clear his mind of the memory. "Lucy... I don't want to lose you like that again. _Ever_. Do you understand?" He reached out and held her face in his hands. "You're the most precious thing in the world to me."

Lucy held his gaze, and even in the shadows she saw the truth glistening in his eyes. His words, so pleasantly unanticipated, shone like a light in the darkness, encasing her in its warmth, making her breathe more freely. Her throat tightened, and hot tears stung her eyes.

"I-Is it the same for you?" He asked when she didn't speak. "I mean... Do you love me?"

She let out a startled laugh. "Natsu, you idiot!" And with that, she leaned forward and kissed him full on the mouth. He made a strangled, surprised noise at her attack, but as always he was quick to respond, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in.

"That's a yes...right?" He asked when they pulled apart. Tilting his forehead against hers, he looked at her almost despairingly.

Lucy smiled. "What do you think?"

"Hell, I don't know." He grimaced. "Half the time, I say or do the wrong thing with you. For once, I want to get this right." He cocked his eyebrows upward. "So be straight with me—is that a yes?"

Of course, he'd be thick enough not to know a 'yes' if it bit him in the armpit. But he deserved nothing less than full disclosure. Lucy smiled. "Yes, Natsu," she said. "That's a yes. I do love you."

His breath hitched. He stared at her, looking a bit dazed. "Wow," he murmured. "C-Can you say that again?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Are you playing dumb?"

"No!" He tightened his arms around her. "I just wanna hear you say it again."

"I'm not going to say it again if you don't say it to me first—"

"I love you, Lucy!" There was no doubt as to how loud he'd yelled the words to her that even her neighbors had probably heard him.

She giggled. "And I love you, you fire-breathing dumbo—" She squealed when he tackled her down on the bed and mashed his lips on hers. And she wasn't giggling for long. Things became intense and frenzied between them in the space of a few heartbeats, and Lucy found herself responding to his passion without any of the usual misgivings holding her back. Somehow, it made kissing him now better than during all of their past training sessions combined.

Still, it wouldn't be a classic make-out moment for them without Natsu being Natsu, and in the midst of things when he was feeling her up over her nightgown and she was on the brink of losing her mind, he raised his head from her neck and swore the loudest oath she'd ever heard him utter.

"Why the hell do you wear these damn things to bed?" He asked, seeming a little annoyed, his hand running over her stomach and feeling the silk of her nightgown between his fingers.

"Huh?" Lucy opened her eyes and tried to focus on what he was asking. "What?"

"You always wear these flimsy, see-through things to sleep," Natsu went on. "What for? I mean, I get that they feel nice and all, but they can hardly keep you warm, can they?"

She struggled to bite back the laughter that threatened to bubble out of her. "Because," she started, swiftly flustered, "they look good on me."

Natsu's forehead crinkled, his hooded gaze roving down her front. "Huh."

The way he was looking at her made her stomach flutter wildly. She pursed her lips, suddenly uncertain. "Y-You don't think it looks good on me?"

"Are you kidding?" He met her eyes. "It makes me wanna nibble on your hips and your thighs and your—"

"Okay!" She clamped her hand over his mouth, her face flaming up even more. She might've set herself up to get that kind of answer from him, but who knew he'd be so utterly shameless? "There will be no nibbling of any sort tonight—"

"Why not?!"

She didn't know how she could explain any of it to him, how that sort of contact could change things even more between them. Natsu's propensity to dive head-first into any situation was very useful at times, but when it came to physical intimacy, Lucy believed they could benefit from proceeding from this point on at a more sedate, leisurely pace. After all, they had already succeeded in escalating the state of their relationship from friendship to something more in just five days. She took her hand off his mouth and gently placed it on his cheek. "I think that kind of thing requires a different sort of training, Natsu," she said, "and maybe we're not ready for all of that yet. I mean, this is still very new to me—and I kind of like being like this with you."

"Hmm." He turned his face toward her hand to nuzzle her palm. "You're right. I like doing this with you too, though it wouldn't hurt to also do some nibbling, y'know." As if to prove his point, he bit on the fleshy part of her hand. She stifled a gasp. "But Lucy," he murmured, creeping up closer to her, "when that time comes, we don't have to be trained by Loki. Do we?"

"What? No!" She shuddered at the mere suggestion. "Mavis, no. When that time comes, you'll figure out what to do."

"Me?" His eyed widened. "You mean, I'll be doing all the work?"

"Okay, I'll help you a little," she said, "but you'll have to impress me first."

"Oh, then it's going to be a piece of cake," Natsu replied, beaming down at her. "I already know most of your sweet spots."

"Natsu!" She yelped, horrified. He cackled merrily. She looked away, huffing at him in embarrassment. "I swear, I should just gag you right now."

"If you gagged me, I wouldn't be able to kiss you," he said, dipping his head down so that his lips hovered just inches over hers. "And I already wanna kiss you again. Can I?"

Forgetting her indignation right away, she sold herself rather cheaply by raising her lips up to his. "I'd be mad if you didn't."

So he did. And for the next few hours, no more words were exchanged between them. There was no longer any need.

* * *

If Lucy had any expectations about the following morning, it would be that Natsu would nuzzle her awake and coax her into having breakfast with him at the guild. There would be a bit of kissing, a bit of touching, and eventually they would nudge each other albeit unwillingly out of bed. That was what she had imagined. But never did she anticipate that she would be rudely woken up by the sound of boisterous, obnoxious laughter coming from someone that didn't belong in their cozy little bubble.

"So this is how it is."

"Shut your damn mouth. She's sleeping." The low growl rumbled under the spot where Lucy rested her ear. She shifted her head on her warm, dragon slayer pillow and groaned, yearning to fall asleep again and have this part of the day restarted.

"Not anymore, she isn't," she croaked.

Natsu's hand curved around the nape of her neck. "Lucy?"

Tentatively, she opened one eye. She wanted so badly to be only imagining things, to be waking up with just Natsu to welcome her back to consciousness. What she didn't need was to see Gray's smug face looming over them at this hour in the morning. "Ugh."

Gray laughed again, seeming to enjoy himself at the sight of them. "You two have no shame whatsoever," he scoffed. "How long has this been going on?" He motioned toward their entangled bodies on the bed.

"None of your damn business," Natsu snapped.

Lucy knew in the deep recesses of her foggy mind that she ought to be embarrassed at having been caught in bed with Natsu. But somehow she couldn't summon the right energy to be huffy and indignant, not when she was so deliciously nestled against Natsu's hard frame and he in turn wasn't letting her go. Besides, it wasn't the worst thing in the world. So what if Gray saw her and Natsu in bed together? Let him think what he wanted. She burrowed her face into Natsu's neck instead. "Can we just ignore him?"

Natsu chuckled. "Good idea." His arms tightened around her.

"Hey!" Gray kicked at the side of the bed hard enough to jar the wooden bed frame. "Not that I relish watching you two being all sappy and lovey-dovey, but I'm here to get you out of bed because you're late for today's meet-up. Erza sent me."

Natsu groaned. "That woman's a pain in the ass."

"Tell that to her face," Gray muttered, kicking the bed again. "She's extra crabby this morning."

Lucy closed her eyes, unwilling to let the day and Erza's omnipotent influence intrude on her bliss. She snuggled against her fire dragon slayer, pulling up the covers over them. "Go away, Gray."

"I'd be glad to, Lucy, really," Gray replied, "as soon as you and Lover Boy here get up. So come on."

Neither Lucy nor Natsu budged an inch.

"Jeez, are you guys looking to do a quick morning romp or something?" Gray asked in disgust. "If that's the case, I'll give you five minutes. I'd bet Natsu could finish sooner than that—" He guffawed, shaking his head as he stomped out of the room.

Lucy's face had gone scarlet at the crude joke, and she should've retaliated—thrown something at him, even—but instead she remained lying there against Natsu, reveling in his warmth. Gingerly, she lifted her gaze up to his face and was wholly surprised to find him, of all things, _blushing_.

He met her eyes. "I don't finish that fast, just so you know," he grumbled, seeming flustered.

She giggled softly and was again struck by the strength of her feelings for him. He grinned back, his features softened by his bright boyish smile and the way his pink bedhead hair stuck out every which way.

"G'morning, Lucy," he greeted.

"Good morning, Nat—" She'd barely finished her own greeting when his lips found hers. He kissed her tenderly, cradling her face in his hand, and all thoughts of Gray and Erza dissipated from her mind. With his guidance, it became all too easy for her to lose herself in the kiss. She wondered if she would ever grow accustomed to _this_—to being happy, to being loved. Hopeful, she silently prayed for this moment to never end.

He rolled over her in a swift, trained motion, pinning her down on the sheets with his weight. His mouth trailed from her lips to her chin, grazing her skin with soft affectionate bites. She gasped through her teeth, her breath growing shallow, her mind and body beginning to center on a relentless sense of want. When he nuzzled the side of her neck and took her earlobe between his teeth, she nearly came undone. She called his name in a breathless moan, causing him to raise his head and curse under his breath.

"Let's just stay here all day," he declared, his voice coming out ragged and choked.

She blinked up at him and saw her own yearning mirrored on his face. She licked her lips, and his eyes followed the movement of her mouth. "I'd love that," she whispered, "but what about Erza and the others?"

"Ah, hell." He clenched his jaw and leaned in, catching her lips in a frantic kiss before completely tearing himself away. He sat up quickly and glared down at her. "Then we really need to get up now."

"Okay." Resigned and barely satiated, Lucy stayed where she was, limp against her pillow, her limbs too slack to be forced into any kind of movement.

Natsu's gaze skimmed over her splayed form. "You're killing me here, Lucy," he griped.

She tried to level her breathing as she sought to calm her racing heart down. "What do you mean?"

He looked at her pointedly. She affected an innocent expression, which proved to be a mistake because the next thing she knew, he was flipping the hem of her nightgown up over her waist and bending his head down to plant his mouth on the soft spot above her hip. She yelped in shock, her hands flying to grab at his head.

"Natsu?!"

His laughter came out muffled as he kissed the fleshy curve of her hip, nipping at her skin with his teeth. A sharp jolt tingled down her spine, making her quiver. She could've easily stopped him, knowing he was going too far, but overtaken by her own desire, she let him do what he wanted. He laved the sensitive place with his lips and his teeth until he'd left a mark, all the while soothing the raw spot with his warm breath. But when his mouth slowly moved upward to her stomach, Lucy coiled like a spring, sitting up and effectively nudging him off her. She was shaking. "I-I'm up!"

Natsu's gaze was hooded when he met her eyes, his nostrils flaring as he took in deep, even breaths. He put his hand over his chest as though to feel his heart. "What are you doing to me, Lucy?"

"I should be the one asking that question," she said in a trembling breath. Her own heart was threatening to jump out of her chest.

"I want you." His eyes widened at his own words, and he seemed puzzled by his body's impulses. "I can't explain what I want to do with you, but I know I _want_ you."

A hot flush crept into her cheeks. She'd always been so unwilling to believe that he desired her, despite his varied reactions to her kisses. Why did she ever think he was so unaffected by her? It was such a stupid, girlish thought. "I-I want you too, Natsu." Her own confession wasn't so bravely spoken; she suffered a hundred degrees' worth of blushing for it.

"But you wanna wait, right?"

She nodded adamantly.

Natsu pursed his lips. "It's gonna be hard for me, that's for sure, because right now I kinda wanna pin you down again and tear that damn dress off you..." He grinned as she turned an even deeper shade of red, and he shrugged. "But, okay. Let's wait."

In spite of his cheerful tone, Lucy could tell that he was resigned to the idea of _waiting_, but perversely, his easy grace made her feelings for him swell even more. Caught up in the rush of emotion, she looped her arms around his shoulders and brushed a quick kiss on his cheek. "Thank you."

He tapped his forehead against hers. "Would you do me a huge favor though?"

"Of course," she said. "What is it?"

"Would you start wearing sweats to bed like a normal person?" He grumbled. "Because that would really help."

Lucy smirked. "Okay," she agreed, failing to mention that the only sweats she owned was a pair of velour hot pants. But she'd broach that subject to him on another day. Or, better yet, she'd _show_ him.

"Are you lovebirds done yet?!" Gray's shouted from the street, his goading, irritated tone echoing toward them through the open window. "I don't wanna be in deeper shit with Erza than we already are!"

"What a pussy," Natsu grumbled under his breath. He raised his eyebrows at Lucy, smiling gingerly. "I guess we really do have to go."

The last thing she wanted was for them to leave this room. It was their sanctuary, their escape from the outside world. She resisted, stubbornly holding onto him and shaking her head.

Natsu smirked mischievously. "We can always continue later, you know."

"Shut up," she said, unable to stifle a smile. "Is that a promise?"

Natsu barked out a laugh.

Lucy withdrew her arms from around his shoulders and sighed. It was just a helpless situation, one that they got into themselves. She longed so much to stay with Natsu under the shelter of her blankets, but she didn't relish the idea of risking Erza's rage, either. The thought of the redhead mage barging into her room and catching them in the middle of their business made her shudder. "Let me just get ready."

Natsu bobbed his head in a nod, his fingers brushing against her cheek in a brief caress. "I'll wait outside with that ice idiot."

With Erza's current mood in mind, Lucy took a quick shower and dressed hurriedly, skipping her usual makeup, knowing that the Requip mage would have them working their butts off for the whole day. She put on a pair of cutoff shorts and tucked her pink tank top into the waistband, seeking to hide the reddish bite mark that Natsu had lovingly branded on her hip. Nobody needed to see that.

"Lucy!" Gray yelled. "What the hell's taking you so long?!"

She grabbed her things and bounded out of her apartment, almost tripping on her heels as she skipped over to where Gray and Natsu waited on the street. "I'm here. Let's go."

Without another word, Gray turned and stalked off, his strides long and impatient. Natsu shrugged at her and followed the grumbling ice mage, leaving her a few strides behind. She gaped at his back, feeling a little shunned. And before she could let the hurt feeling take over, she started to remember. All of this was new to both of them. In time, they would learn to integrate each other's habits and routines into their own personal lives, but for now she needed to be patient and make allowances for Natsu's lack of knowledge. That meant she would probably need to take the lead in most situations. She smiled to herself and trailed after him, only too happy to do it. When she was able to catch up to him, she slipped her hand in his.

He seemed startled as he turned his gaze from her grinning face down to their linked hands. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He pulled her to his side, threading his fingers through hers, his grip firm and sure.

Another lesson learned.

There would be hundreds more, Lucy was certain, still hundreds more to go over and understand before they could settle in and feel grown and at ease with each other. No one knew for sure how long their journey would take, or how difficult their joined path would be, but somehow it was a comfort to know that they would be learning those life lessons together, one step at a time.

_**END.**_

* * *

**A/N: **Yes, this is the final chapter! I'd always meant for this story to be short and sweet. But no worries, I'll be writing a follow-up fic, though I haven't come up with all the plot details yet. All I have right now is an idea. A few ideas, actually. I'm also looking to write an Ao no Exorcist fic because I ship Rin and Shiemi so hard.

Anyway, has anybody read the latest FT chapter? Oh my god, the hot springs! And them all being naked together! I liked how Natsu and Gray were like "ehhh" when Lucy and Wendy reacted to them seeing their bodies. It's just so like them, haha. But I would have loved it even more if it were Lucy that washed Natsu's back, haha. It's giving me rotten ideas.

Again, thank you for reading this story guys. Until the next story! I'll try to make it more interesting.


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